After School Lessons
by Sasuke14u
Summary: Written by Zero101: After a pissed off encounter with a green-haired motorcyclist, Sanji decides to take his revenge. After finding said bike parked in his parking spot at school, he wrecks it, not knowing that the owner was now his new Literature teacher.
1. Meet Roronoa Zoro

A/N: Hello everyone this is Sasuke14u here. ^-^ This is a co-op story written by my friend Zero101. (Im the editor/proofreader) This is not her first attempt at fanfic but the first to be published on this website. We hope you like the story! Be sure to leave reviews and whatnot if you do.(critiques are also welcome)

**_Chapter 1. Meet Roronoa Zoro_**

_Beep__. Beep. Beep. Be-CRUNCH!_

Covers were pulled back over the youths head as he drifted back to sleep. _Five more minutes..._"-gi!" One eye twitched, barely opening at the sudden break of his unconsciousness _Huh? _He could hear the footsteps of his roommate charging for his room, but due to the grogginess of the sleep deprivation he didn't have the motivation to react to the oncoming threat. He just rolled around and wrapped his arm around the warm body next to him, sighing in content.

His door burst open, slamming into the wall with a jarring thud, forcing the boy in bed to accept the fact that he wasn't getting back to sleep. "Why are you still asleep? Make breakfast, please! I'm starving! Oh, and we're gonna be late for school. Oh, hi Mika. You're gonna be late for school too if you didn't get up."

Luffy stood there in his usual red cardigan and knee length blue jean shorts, his trademark strawhat that still shocked Sanji that he can get away with at school. The scar under his left eye from a child's act of carelessness. And right now he was glowering at him for not having food ready.

"Damn It, Luffy. Get the hell out!" Fear in getting kicked in the head again, Luffy fled from the room and down the hall. Running a hand through his hair, still messed from his late night fling. He reached over for his cigarettes on his table next to his bed a took one out, placing it between his lips, lighting it and taking a long drawl.

He glanced over at Mika, appreciating her beauty as she wrapped his blanket around her. "You're roommate's strange."

He drew a long drag, making smoke rings. "Hmm. Want some breakfast?"

Mika-chan left for her home to get ready for school after using their shower.

Sanji walked over to his floor-to-ceiling mirror, giving himself one more check and smiled in approval. His blond hair covering his left eye, smooth down to perfection. His nice black suit pressed and clean with matching gold buttons. A light blue dress shirt and black tie. His shoes shined. _Looking suave, if I do say so myself. _

"Why'd you kick me again, Sanji? That wasn't very nice." Luffy was pouting again over being mistreated, his lower lip sticking out and eyes narrowed in mock anger. Driving to school was relatively the same as usual; Luffy complaining about Sanji kicking him _again_, and what he'll cook later for dinner.

He blew smoke out of his window. "You acted like your usual self in front of Mika-chan. Devouring everything before she even got to eat! I told you to lighten up whenever I have company."

Luffy scoffed. "She shouldn't have stayed in the shower forever." waving his arms frantically, he added. "She had to have used up all the hot water!"

Sanji tsked. "Not like you shower anyway."

"I do too!" Luffy crossed his arms and pout through the windshield. Sanji laughed.

Sanji glanced down at his side mirror and saw a guy on a motorcycle riding his ass, Sanji couldn't make out who the man was due to the helmet, but Sanji already declared him 'asshole' in his mind.

_Get off my ass, fucker. _No. The guy was actually gaining speed on him. "You asshole." He stuck his arm out the window and flipped the man on the bike off.

A second later, the bike drove passed him and turned at the next light.

"Uh, Sanji? I think you made him mad."

"Fuck 'em."

10 minutes later...and after a stop at McDonald's (much to Sanji's dismay)

_No way in hell. That ass is in my spot._

Luffy giggled, though Sanji couldn't find anything funny about the situation. "He got you good."

His eye twitched, just barely resisting the urge to just ram the guys bike _(no matter how awesome it looked up close) _into the pavement. So; being the mature gentlemen that he was, he parked next to it. Got out of the car. And pushed it over.

Not too much damage. Just a few scratches...and a cracked mirror. Hell, he'll pay for the damages if he had too. Sanji just wanted the satisfaction of knowing that he got his revenge on the man.

He didn't get the chance to do anymore damage before Luffy grabbed his arm and started to drag him up the sidewalk to the school. "Come on! We still have time for breakfast."

"I just feed you! Again!"

"I'm still hungry."

"Doesn't your brother ever feed you?"

Luffy grinned. "Nope."

_I am so going to kick Ace's ass._

...

Leaving Luffy in the cafeteria, Sanji made his way to his homeroom. Already craving another cigarette, he settled with taking out one of the suckers he kept in his pocket and popping it in his mouth. Reaching his class, he took note of only a handfull of students present even though class was about to start.

"Where the hell is everybody?" he muttered to himself. He felt a tap on his shoulder, turning around hearts immediately appeared in his eyes. "Oh, Nami-swan! My, you look absolutely stunning today." Standing just past his shoulder, he could tell she would fit perfectly in his arms if giving the chance. Chestnut hair framing her face, just reaching her chin. A smirk or grin ever present on her beautiful face. A low cut pink shirt giving teasing glances of her cleavage A short skirt that really had him wondering how the school allowed on their grounds. _But oh did he thank them. _"Would you know where everyone is, my love?"

She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her and gave a coy smile. "Mr. Clay finally quit to do his ballet trip around the country. So, our class is heading for the gym to be introduced to the new Literature teacher."

He clasped his hands together and spun on his toes, grinning. "Oh, Nami-swan. You are always so well informed."

_'They've told us this two weeks ago...' Nami thought. _She smiled anyway, linking her arm with his. "Walk with me there?"

His grin widened. "Of course!"

_Today must be my lucky day! Thank you, Clay; for giving me this opportunity._

_Okay, I know I was with Mika-chan last night. But a man has to treat every women like a beautiful gem. And if said gem wants a night in the sheets, then who am I to say no?_

Nami snickered. "Judging by that face, I'd guess _you _had a fun night. Who was it?"

"That would be a secret." he grinned. "So, when are you going to finally give into my charm and go out with me?"

"Hmmm?" at least she appeared to think about it. She grinned. "Probably never."

Sanji deflated. "Oh, your hot even when you reject me."

_Oh well, there's still a lot of beautiful young ladies I still can woe into my arms...or my bed._

_oOoOoOo_

_Where the hell am I?_

Apparently leaving an hour earlier wasn't enough...considering a five minute bike ride still took most of that hour to find the damn school, now he couldn't even find the damn gym.

_Okay, this place has obviously moved around in the last eight years i've lived here. I know the gym was somewhere around the entrance. Did I take a wrong turn?_

Running a hand through his hair, the man was tempted to ask one of the students walking by to give him directions...but his pride just wouldn't let him. His pride didn't last long as he glanced at the clock hanging above what he guessed was the cafeteria judging by the smell...it was to big to be the chem lab anyway. _Damn it._

Looking around he grabbed the nearest shoulder, not even paying attention if it was a student or teacher. "Excuse me, where's the gym?" he blurted out.

The man could tell that the person he grabbed was still a student, even though the boy had maybe two or three inches on him. His height though didn't make up the fact that he was as skinny as a pole._ Okay, who dresses in a suit at school? _Blond hair covered the left side his face and a sucker hung from his lips. _His eyebrow swirled? _The man looked down at the girl the boy's arm was slung over._ Does this school have a dress code?_

The kid glared. "Huh?"

_Punk._

Keeping violent thoughts from his mind. "The gym?"

The boy blinked. "Oh. Well, we're heading that way. You can just follow us there I guess." there was a slight pause a the boy gave him a once-over. _Here we go. _"What the hell is up with your hair?"

oOoOoOoO

_It's green..._

The man before him had a lot of nerve interrupting his and Nami's quality time. It may have been rude to ask that kind of question; but hey, fair is fair. Standing there with an uncaring mug, he had to wonder why the man was here anyway. He didn't go to this school...looked a little too old to come here.

The guy was the same height as himself, bronzed skin that stood out through the plain _green_ button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and simple pair of black dress pants that seemed to have had better days. Looking at the man's face, one of his eyes had a scar across it that forced it closed. The other was a dark green that seemed to be glaring at him now.

The man spoke again, eyes narrowed. "What the hell is up with your eyebrow?"

Twitch.

Nami giggled, glancing back up at him. _Why are you encouraging him? _"Should've saw that one coming, Sanji. Ignore my friend here, just follow us okay?"

Sanji watched as the green guy pick up a bag and a long square case; still glaring at him the three continued walking to their destination in silence. "Marimo head."

Not missing a beat. "Dartbrow."

Sanji's eye twitched, gritting his teeth. "You wanna start something, moron."

"I would love to kick your pompous ass loverboy, but that will have to wait until you grow up."

"What?!"

Nami knocked both him and the new guy over the head. "Shut up! We're going to be late for the meeting. Come on."

_Stupid. I am so going to kick his green ass when this thing is over! He is going to regret making me look bad in front of Nami-swan. Oh, his going to rue this day!_

Outside the gym, Sanji looked back. "Here we are assho-where'd he go?"

Nami looked back, confused. "You think he got lost again?"

"...what an idiot..."

oOoOoOoO

The man looked from one side of the hallway to the other.

_...damn it..._

_oOoOoOoO_

"Hello, Class 3-A. Sorry, for the inconvenience of pulling you out of your classroom. But there'd be no point being there without me introducing you to your new teacher.. I'm sure you all miss Mr. Bon Clay. May he find his fame." Shanks loved to talk.

On stage, stood Principal Shanks and Vice Principal Mihawk. Complete polar opposites if you ever meet them. While 'Red Haired' Shanks seemed to be in a good mood all the time, 'Hawkeye' Mihawk was always in a bad one. Both seemed to always something colorful, it would be damn near impossible to not see them in a crowd.

Usopp and Luffy sat down next to him and Nami on the bleachers, waiting for the speech to continue._ I need a smoke. _Usopp leaned over, practically pushing Luffy back into the third row. "Hey, do you guys have any idea who the new teacher is?"

Usopp, being over his lap, Luffy just swung his arms over the long nose's back and grinned. "Not a clue."

"Hey! Get off, Luffy." Usopp was interesting to say the least with his overly long nose. Standing just a bit taller than Luffy, curly black hair that never really seemed to be brushed. A light mocha colored tint to his skin contrasted against his white shirt with oil smudges from working on who-knows-what. Rips started to appear on his pants from his constant clumsiness.

"Nuh-uh. Comfy." Luffy grinned, crossing his arms over Usopp's back.

"Come on, Luffy. Get off!"

He pouted. "Fine." he slung himself back and leaned into the upper seats. "What's this about again? Oo! Are they getting more meat for lunch?!"

Nami sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Of course that would be your guess."

Usopp glared at his friend. "Didn't you listen to a word I said just a few seconds ago?"

Luffy grinned. ""Nope."

_Idiot._

Shanks coughed, bringing everyones attention back up to the stage. "Okay, without any further interuptions. Your new Literature teacher, Mr. Roronoa Zoro."

_Shanks seems to think the new teachers are like presidential candidates._

No one appeared on stage...

A full minute passed, Shanks smile twitched as he looked through the stage doors. Mihawk sighed and shook his head.

"Uh...Zoro-sensei?" Shanks called.

Mihawk groaned. "Should have dragged him here myself."

Just as Shanks was about to jump off the stage, the gym doors burst open and the green haired man stumbled forward. He straightened when he noticed the whole class staring at him in a mixture of laughter and confusion. "Uhh...sorry."

Sanji laughed to himself. _What a moron...wait...it couldn't be..._

Mihawk stood from his seat and glance over to the distressed man. "Nice of you to finally join us, Zoro."

The sucker fell from Sanji's lips. "Shit. I probably got detention already."

Nami giggled. "More than likely."

Luffy and Usopp just glanced at each other, confused.

The man (now dubbed Zoro or Marimo) climbed up the stage to stage next to the two leaders, a slight blush on his cheeks. "I had some issues finding the gym."

"Still directionally challenged I see." Mihawk stated, fussing with Zoro's collar. "And apparently you're still dress strangly."

Zoro visibly twitched. _Not much on people touching him, is he? _"What the hell is wrong with my clothes. You're the one with flowers everywhere."

Shanks stepped in between the two males, grinning. "Okay, okay. I know if I don't stop this, you two will no doubt start breaking things. Zoro, Why don't you introduce yourself to your new students, yeah? I'm sure they have a few questions for you."

oOoOoOoO

He glared at the mic in Shank's hand, almost as if it would bite at any second. Grabbing it and facing his new students, his lips parted.

"The name's Roronoa Zoro, your new Literature teacher. If you have any questions...I suggest you forget about them now."

The crowd was hushed...except for a boy with a straw hat who had burst out laughing at the end. _I wasn't trying to be funny...Damn it! That swirly kid's in my class too! _He could feel his temper rising. _Shit. _A harsh slap to the back of his head brought his from his thoughts, he covered the mic with one of his hands. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was a poor job, Zoro-sensei."

Shanks looked distraught, waving his arm frantically. _Was is really that bad?_ "Zoro! That was not an introduction. Tell them about your hopes and dreams!-"

"Uh..."

"-Your hobbies and-"

"What? Hey-"

Shanks turned and glared at him. "...At least tell them something!"

Glancing over to the crowd of students, trying to come up with any excuse to avoid the whole 'talk about yourself' speech, he sighed in defeat.

oOoOoOoO

"It must be embarrassing to have two grown men lecture you in front of room full of teenagers." Nami giggled, flipping through a book she pulled out in the middle of the rant. "Poor Zoro. The pink is starting to clash with his hair."

Sanji laughed. "Serves the bastard right."

Luffy was grinning from ear-to-ear. "I think its funny. Shanks loves to pick on people like that."

"He may be overdoing it though." Usopp murmured, glancing down at his straw hat friend. "That guy looks ready to murder them both."

He glanced down at Luffy, noticing the boy was deep in thought. "Luffy, thinking too hard will cause your brain to explode."

Luffy pouted. "That guy's name...something Zoro." he crossed his arms. "I know I heard Shanks saying something about a guy he knew from Mihawk..." he leaned forward with his eyes closed. "...or maybe Ace? I just can't remember."

He sighed. "I'm not surprised." glancing up, the new teacher turned to face his students. He chuckled. _Ha! His face is still red._

Zoro took in a deep breath to _continue _his speech.

oOoOoOoO

"Shanks! Why are these students still not in their respective classrooms?!" Startled, he took notice of the new figure who had entered on the stage. A large bulk of a man with white hair even though he couldn't be out of his thirties yet. Bulging muscles under a white jacket with tan fur in the hood, blue jeans and worn out shoes.

_He's smoking_. It wasn't even a question, seeing a cigar in between the man's lip._ This school's weird_...he sighed. _Should have known that with Hawkeye working here._

Shank's actually hid behind him, whistling. The man glared. "I want these students back in their class now." glancing over at him, the man seemed to lighten up. "Good luck. You're going to need it."

_I have a feeling I might._

Shanks sighed. "Man, and I really wanted Zoro to make a heartfelt introduction. Oh, well. Okay kids, time to go back to class. Those who are in Zoro-sensei's class, please show him the way."

Mihawk scoffed. "You may need to hold his hand if you want him there."


	2. A Lasting First Impression

**Chapter 2. A Lasting First Impression**

"That asshole! I'll kick his ass one of these days." Zoro mumbled. Cause of that whole 'hold his hand' bit, one of his students actually took it seriously. The straw hat kid that laughed during his speech was practically dragging him to his new class, talking nonstop, he could hear the rest of his kids laughing at him from behind. "Uh...what?"

He glanced at the kid. _Why does he look so familiar?_

The kid turned, pouting. "Were you even listening?"

Busted. "...No" he glared down. "Let go of my hand."

"But Hawkeye-sensei said you'd get lost if we didn't lead you to class. Luffy's just doing what he was told to do." he turned and glared at the blonde haired kid he met earlier, his dislike for the boy growing. The kid grinned, his one eye showing mischief. "Or do you approve of not following our teachers instructions."

"You brat." he turned back to the kid holding his hand, stumbling over the kid's increased speed. "So, your name's Luffy? I think I've heard about you."

"Here we are!" Luffy practically shoving him through the door. _These kids are trying to kill me._

Adjusting his packs over his shoulder, the kids began to go to their respective seats talking amongst themselves. Taking a seat at his own desk, he shuffled through his pack for his glasses and the list with his students names on it. Finding the list and pushing his glasses up his nose, he cleared his turned to find his students sitting on the desks, a group playing card games, the blond kid flirting with a questionable girl, straw hat kid eating. _Such sloppy kids. Was I this bad?...nope. 'Course I didn't even go to school..._

"Okay...when I call your name, just say 'here'. You can say something about yourselves if you want, but don't force yourselves." as his students took their seats, the blond was effectively ignoring him. "Oi! Dartbrow. I said take your seat."

oOoOoOoO

_Again? He's dead for interupting me with a lovely lady!_

Sanji glared at the teacher. "Can't you see that I'm busy?"

Zoro-sensei's eye twitched. "We're in class. Now take your seat. Luffy, what's his name?"

He stopped mid-bite over his candy. "Oh, that's Sanji."

He scoffed. "Traitor."

Luffy pouted. "What'd I do?"

"Okay." Sanji turned back toward the new teacher, who was mumbling over the stack of papers in his hands. He must have found what he was looking for, because he visbly lightened up. _He's easily satisfied. _"Here _you_ are. Name's Sanji Black, 18. In Home-Ec...shocking, it _actually _says _you _can cook." Zoro glanced up. "Not too impressive..."

He glared. "What'd you say?!"

"Oh, there's more. 'Warning, proned to violence'. _Scary_."

He shot up, slamming his hands down on his desk. "You jackass! I'll show you how_ 'proned to violence' _I really am."

"Uh-huh."

"I kick your sorry ass!"

Zoro glanced back up, unimpressed. "Keep up with the language and you can see me after class."

_He's cheating!_

He smirked._ He's bluffing, no way the teach has the balls to actually give _me _detention._ "Kiss my ass."

Zoro gave him a bland stare, he sighed. "I guess I'll be seeing you after school, Mr. Black."

He should have saw that coming.

oOoOoOoO

The look on Sanji's face..._priceless. _Inwardly laughing, Zoro continued to call his students names. Some mentioned things about themselves; Luffy _clearly _stating that he wanted to be a _pirate_. Even Sanji mentioned that he was more than likely going to kick his ass after school, detention or not. Most just stayed silently, probably more intimidated now that they knew that he wasn't going to let the little assholes get away with too much.

"Do any of you have any questions?"

Luffy waved his hand frantically. "Yeah! Hey, how old are you?"

Blink. "Why?"

Leaning back into his chair, he appeared to think on a response. "Cause you don't look that old." Zoro's brow raised. "Most of the teachers act old here, but you don't." _Was that a compliment, or an insult? _

The Helmeppo kid laughed. "You just called Zoro-sensei immature, idiot."

"Did not! I just think he acts weird."

His eye twitched as the others broke into hysterical laughter. _Is that any better?_

"You're just making it worse, Luffy." He pouted.

Zoro sighed. "22."

The girl from earlier, Nami, spoke up. "Aren't you a little young? We were told that you've been away doing some round-world trip during your college life. Wouldn't that make you older."

He turned around to write his class projects on the board, along with his name and profession. "I was home schooled. According to my teacher, he said he'd make it where I would graduate before I was 16." he sighed, remembering the horrors of his school life. "Low and behold, years of intense studying and training later I had graduated at 15 and I was sent off to college." He turned, giving a calculated look."Mind you, it was an interesting experience."

The door to the class opened, revealing a woman with a cart full of books. Standing a little taller than himself, with a figure that made even him wonder why she was here and not in some modeling agency. Styled shoulder length black and a piercing blue eyes. A light pink blouse highlighted her tanned skin and a pair of tight pair of blue jeans shaped her long legs.

"Oh, Robin-chwan! You grace us with your beauty." Sanji sang, hearts in his eyes once again.

_Love-sick cook. _She giggled. "It's always nice to see you too, Sanji." she glanced back up at Zoro. "I forgot to place these in here. Your new textbooks."

"Oh, thanks." he picked one up. "Are these new? Didn't expect that."

Robin smiled. "The principal thought that since this is your first teaching experience...he'd help you out some. Last years materials were a little...out dated to say the least. These should be of a little more use."

He grinned. "Tell him I grateful for the help."

She turned to leave. "Oh. If you need any help, you can either find me in the library or in the classroom down the hall. I teach world history."

_Why do I get an eerie feeling from this woman._

"O...kay. I'll just hand these out tomorrow. Is there anymore questions you all would like to ask before the next bell rings?"

"This school doesn't have a bell." _Oh._

A girl stood up in her seat, grinning. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

His eye twitched, he could feel his cheeks warming up. "Huh? What kinda question is that?"

Sanji laughed. "Your face in contradicting with your hair, marimo."

"Wanna stay with me tomorrow too, Mr. Black?"

_I have a feeling that teaching is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done._

Lunch break

While the students were eating, Zoro decided to head for the gym and hopefully get some training done before the next class. Slinging his case over his shoulder, he made his way towards his destination feeling lighter than he had all morning. Pushing open the doors he went through earlier, only to groan and see a young man lying in the middle of the floor.

_...is he dead? _Cautiously Zoro made his way over to the figure, taking in his appearance as he went. _There's no way..._

The man was using his shirt as a pillow, revealing that he was well-built. A weird orange hat with a happy and sad face on the band covered his face. _Weird. _Black pants hung low on his hips..._Lewd kid_... the ends stopping just below his knees and leading up to a pair of plain black sneakers.

"Oi, kid. This is no place to sleep. Go back to class...or lunch. Whatever." he tapped the boy's face with his shoe. "Come on kid. Put your clothes back on."

The kid groaned, one eye barely opening. "What?" he sat up, rubbing his eyes as he adjusted his hat back into place. "Is it time for class?"

Zoro eyes widened, recognizing the guys' voice. "I know you."

"Huh?" He looked up and the effect was imminent. A huge grin appeared on the mans' face as he shot up and tackled the unsuspecting teacher. "ZORO!" They both fell to the floor with a painful thud, cursing as their limbs got tangled as the man fell on top of him. "It's been years!"

_It still hurts!_

Zoro tried to shove his old friend away with a hand pushing into his face. "That hurt! Get off, Ace!" a minute pause. "Stop hugging me! Get off! Don't make me cut you, damn it!"

Ace merely continued to grin; releasing his hold, but only straightening up in Zoro's lap causing the younger man to blush. "What the hell, man? Who said you were allowed to grow up?" Zoro groaned as the man wrapped his arms around his neck again, patting his head affectionately. "I want my chibi back."

He rubbed a palm down his face. "Can you at least put all your clothes back on? Sheesh, I'd think you'd grown out of the whle 'stripping' habit."

Ace gave a naughty smirk as he slid further into his lap. "You know you like it."

Blush darkening, Zoro punched the guy in the face, though Ace just continued to laugh as if it never happened. "You're an asshole."

"Yes I am."

"What are your doing?"

Raising to his feet and brushing the dirt off his pants, Ace gave Zoro a confused look. "I teach gym here." _small world_. "So, Chibi. What're you doing here anyway?"

"Don't call me that." he picked up his case. "I got a job here teaching Literature."

...

Ace fell to his knees laughing so hard, tears in his eyes.

His eye twitched. "And what the hell is so funny?"

He pointed at Zoro. "YOU!"

"..."

Still laughing.

"...Why?..."

Ace caught his breath. "I just can't believe that you're a teacher. I thought you were going around the world to be a master swordsman."

"Been around the world and fought a lot of strong swordsman...but not one was as powerful as Hawkeye."

Moment of silence. "So...you followed Mihawk here and became a teacher?" he laughed again. "What kinda logic is that?"

He shrugged. "I've already fought everyone else worth mentioning. Figured I could just teach here until I feel I'm strong enough to beat 'em, at least here I don't have to go traveling across the globe to fight him."

Ace rubbed his chin. "I guess that kinda make sense...if you don't have that weird mocking feeling you used to get when you were around him before. You know? Like when he kicked your ass and you couldn't even be in the same room with him without twitching...like your doing now." he grinned. "You're turning into quite the little masochist, aren't you? That's hot."

Glaring and gritting his teeth, Zoro replied. "I thought you had someone else to torture. Where's he at?"

For a split second, Ace actually appeared sad. But it quickly vanished into a childish pout with his arms crossed._ Touched a nerve I guess. _"He's all pissed off at me. Says I'm too touchy-feely in public or with people."

"You grinding on my lap doesn't prove that?"

He threw his arms up. "That was playing! Smoker's just a buzz-kill, man. I can't even hug friends without him freaking out." he sighed. "I'm a touchy person. He won't even let me hug or kiss _him _in public! Isn't that sad?"

"Oh well, it'll work out in the end I guess." turning towards the door, he started back to his class. Glancing over his shoulder, Zoro called out. "Lets go drinking soon."

"Awwww. You're talking about drinking at school? You're on! See you later, _Zoro-sensei_."

_Guess it won't be so bad here. Maybe I should check on my bike before I go back to class._

_oOoOoOoO_

Smoking while the others ate some of the lunches he brought to the roof, Sanji thought of the new teacher. He was livid! Sure, it probably wasn't a great first impression making fun of the guy's hair, but hell, how could he resist? _It was green! _

Luffy and Usopp sat around the box lunches he had made for the group, though he made sure to keep Nami's safe from the two. Nami sat next to Sanji leaning against the stairway wall, eating her lunch elegantly.

"Can you believe that bastard actually gave _me _a detention?"

Usopp scratched the end of his long nose, pondering over the question. Just as he was about to answer, Nami answered with a smirk. "It's not like you've never gotten detention before. Why're you so pissed off now?"

Dropping the cigarette and crushing it with his shoe, Sanji stood up and paced back and forth, gritting his teeth in an obvious show of anger. "Its him! That superior attitude of his just pissed me off. Shitty marimo!"

Luffy mumbled through a mouthful of food. "He wasn't acting super-what ever."

Shifting his glare to the boy, Sanji muttered. "What do you know?"

He grinned. "Just think so."

Usopp scoffed, crossing his arms. "Maybe. If anything, he's just really straight-forward."

He through his arms up. "Who's side are you guys on?"

Nami laughed. "You're just mad that he isn't intiminated by you like some of the other teachers." pause, a sly smile appearing on her face. "Or is it that that _you're_ intimidated?"

He couldn't even let that comment slide, even if it was Nami. "Intimidated? Why in the hell would I be intimidated by that shitty bastard?!" pause. He fell to his knees. "Oh, I'm so sorry for talking that way to you, my lovely Nami-swan! Please forgive me!"

"No worries. It just seems to me that you're more...worked up then usual."

Usopp nodded. "Yeah, you usually don't lose your cool like that. But I guess your not used to teachers calling you names either. Except for Zeff that is."

Lighting another cigarette, he groaned. "Whatever, the guy just pisses me off."

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Everyone froze at the loud threatening voice filled the air. Sanji stood slowly walking over to the edge of the building to see he was so pissed off, only to discover in the distance a familiar head of green hair hovering over the bike he had knocked over earlier.

Luffy bounded next to him. "Hey! Isn't that the bike you knocked over?" from the shear volume of the boy's voice, Zoro had heard and looked up, noticing him. "I think he sees you."

Sanji groaned as Zoro's face turned red in anger. "No. shit." _I am so in trouble._

oOoOoOoO

_He is so dead._

A/N: Hey everybody, Sasuke14u here! We hope you like the newest chapter of the story. Once again be sure to favorite/leave a review to tell us what you think.


	3. First Day On The Job Part 1

A/N: Sasuke14u- Hello everyone! Here's the newest chapter to ASL! Just so theres no confusion, the beginning of the chapter starts off in the principal's (Mihawk's) office. Enjoy! :3

**Chapter 3. First Day On The Job Part 1**

_I can't believe that little fuck! If he wasn't still was a minority, he would be dead right now! No, I'd torture him slowly. A hit for every scratch. Punk ass kid..._

"Did you knock over Zoro's bike, Sanji?"

It was always hard being analyzed by Hawkeye, but he felt no sympathy for the kid who messed with his bike. His baby. The only thing he was able to build from the ground without it blowing up in his face. After he stood up the bike and noticed the scratches and broken mirror, he almost drew his swords out to kill the brat.

"He was driving shitty and passsed me on the highway. I didn't know it was his!"

He growled. "So like an angry child, you break others things when your mad."

Hawkeye glare shifted over to him. "Be quiet." back to Sanji. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Suspended or expelled?"

"Well, you broke someones personal property. You will have to pay for the damages, of course. But I think I want to know what Zoro wants to choose."

oOoOoOoO

_Great, this is going to clear out my savings for sure. And he'll make sure I'm not welcomed here_. Sanji was starting to get nervous, through all his suave and his cool attitdue, he was truly afraid that he was about to get expelled. A line of sweat fell down his cheek.

Zoro took in a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't want his money..."

...

Sanji glanced over at him wide eyed. "W-What?"

"...And I don't want him expelled either."

_Is he...serious? _Zoro glanced over at him, revealing nothing.

"That seems awefully kind of you. Any particular reason why?"

"What better punishment than being forced to stay in a class with a teacher that Sanji obviously hates?" Zoro turned to him and gave an evil smirk.

As the two older men talked, Sanji just continued to stare at the man that he had unintentionally wronged in awe. Thinking how most would have kicked his ass out of school all together and make him pay the repairs.

Mihawk-Sensei leaned back in his seat, cupping his hands on his desk. "I normally don't agree on those kind of conditions, but I know you and that it wouldn't cause any real harm."

Sanji blinked. "Huh?" _What'd I miss? _Zoro still held an emotionless expression. "What'd you two decide?"

Zoro finally glared. "Weren't you listening?"

"...no..."

Mihawk sighed. "Zoro has decided that instead of financial help, he'd rather have you work off your debt at his home doing manual labor."

"Manual...labor." the words felt weird in his mouth. "Are you going to have me digging ditches or building houses or what?"

Mihawk actually chuckled at his question, though he was being serious. Zoro seemed like the kind of guy who would have him digging holes as punishment. Maybe he could get a few extra hours at work...

Hawkeye sensei leaned back in his plush seat, feet crossed on his desk, hands clasped together in his lap before replying. "I don't think that's what Zoro had in mind." he asked, not even glancing at Zoro. "Could you clarify the task you would have for Sanji?"

Sanji's fears went up as his green haired sensei answered. "I would rather keep it a secret." Zoro glanced at him. "But just to reassure you, you won't be digging holes." he looked confused. "Did you steal that from the book or something? Where would I have you digging anyway? Not like I have all that much extra space for you to."

He could feel his face turning red. "Whatever. You just seemed like the kinda guy who'd enjoy torturing people."

Zoro snorted, gathering his case. He dug a set of keys out of his pocket. "Oh. I also took the liberty of confiscating your keys from your car."

"What?!" he shouted, grabbing Zoro's collar. He didn't care that this could count as assaulting a teacher. His car was his baby! "How'd you know which was my car? How'd you break _into _my car?!"

"It wasn't hard finding out which one was yours. You're probably the only one here narcisstic enough to put 'LOVE COOK' on your license plate. As for getting the keys..." Zoro smirked, his eyes darkening. "I guess you'll find out."

_My cars' gonna be destroyed! Wait..._Sanji inwardly smirked. _I still got my key in my locker!_

"Oh, I got into your locker and took the main key. Incase that was what your were smirking about. Thought I should kill that last bit of hope you had left."

He deflated. "I should have saw that coming." he sighed, straightening back up to his full height. "So, when do I start this labor thing?"

Zoro turned to leave, twirling Sanji's keys around his finger. "As soon as detention is over. 'Cause I still expect you there after last class. And if you dare try to get out of it...I'll make sure you pay for the damages AND still have to work for me. Understand?"

Sanji sighed, realizing that his senior year here was going to suck. "Yeah. Hey, wait! How am I going to get to your house?"

oOoOoOoO

The rest of the day was uneventful to say the least. A couple arguements here and there, a few bizarre questions, and some girls flirting with him cause he was 'hot' as one of them put it. A little awkard, but nothing he couldn't handle.

Now he was sitting in his room with Sanji in the desk infront of him, reading over some of the papers he had received earlier that day. Sanji was busying himself with what he guessed, or _hoped_, was homework. He could feel the boy glancing up at him every so often, and it had slowly started to put him on edge.

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he finally had to ask. "Is there something I can help you with, Sanji? Anything with your homework?"

Sanji glanced up, annoyed. "No thanks, _sensei_."

He sighed, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes. _When was the last time I lasted this long without a nap. I'm exhausted. _Setting his glasses down, he glanced up at the clock. _Still 45 minutes._

"You know what...forget this." he stood up and gathered his things, slinging his case over his shoulder. "Let's go."

Sanji looked up, confused as he watched him gather his things. "Uh...go where?"

He ran a hand through his hair, realizing that this wasn't what a normal teacher would do. But so far everything today was screwed up anyway, so in the end he didn't care. He couldn't just sit here in a quiet classroom and do nothing. At least not without sleeping.

"I know I said we were doing this 'detention' thing...but I'm bored and tired as hell after everything that has happened today. So, we're going to leave early so you can start working and I can take a nap."

Moment of silence. Seemed to be happening a lot today.

The look on the boy's face almost made him laugh. "Uh...okay?"

He made a motion to hurry up. "Well, get your shit and lets get the hell out of here." Sanji glared at him, obviously annoyed at the sudden change in attitude. "Would you rather _stay _here for the hour and then start working? Or do you want to get done early and go home?"

"Fine. I'm coming."

_Good, he's learning._

As they made their way to the exit in silence, other teachers said their farewells to the two . He felt Sanji grab his arm. Turning he gave the boy a confused stare. "Yeah, Curlybrow?"

Sanji visably twitched in anger. "How the hell am I supposed to get to your house? Remember? You took my keys." Choosing to ignore the question, he continued on, dragging the furious teen with him. "Answer the damn question, Marimo!"

"Still with the name calling?"

"You started it."

"No, technically, you did this morning."

..."Whatever."

Finally arriving to his abused bike, he opened the side compartment to place his school bag in it. He turned to Sanji. "Give me your bag." He was ignored. Glancing up, he saw Sanji frantically looking over his car for damage. "I'm not petty enough for that kinda revenge. Give me the bag."

Sanji glared at him, finally deciding that his car was unharmed "Hell no. I am not riding that thing. Much less with you. Just give me my damn keys and I'll follow you home."

_Stubborn ass..._

"Why would I trust you to follow me? You'd more than likely speed off and then I'd have to force you to come tomorrow...or maybe i'd force you to have detention with Hawkeye."

Sanji scoffed, crossing his arms. "Like he would do that."

"I'm pretty sure he would if I owe him a favor...and I really don't want to do that. Now-" he reached forward, palm upwards. "-please spare us both that encounter and give me the bag."

His eyes narrowed. "How will I get home later?"

"I'm going to drop you off back here after your job is done for the day. I am trying to be somewhat reasonable."

oOoOoOoO

He glared down at the outstretched hand, thinking of the possibilities of what was to come. The man could be some psycho killer for all he knew and he was just luring him to his house to finish the job. Taking a few seconds to ponder that thought, he dropped the possibility. The man was an asshole, but shockingly Sanji thought if anything, the man would only threaten to kick his ass.

Which if that ever happened, he could kick his, _quite literally_, right back. Sighing, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere figting back, he dropped his bag in Zoro's hand. Nodding, Zoro placed his bag in the compartment and locked it shut. He slung the case that he'd carried down so it now lung across his back and straddling his beloved bike, gestured for Sanji to get on.

"You seriously gonna make me get on this thing?"

His answer was Zoro tossing his helmet to him.

"Uh-huh."

_Shitty Marimo._

Grudgingly, Sanji straddled the bike behind the man while strapping the helmet on and gripped the edge, refusing to have to hold him to stay on. Zoro started the motor, bringing the bike to life and glanced over his shoulder. "You may want to hold on."

He snorted. "I ain't touching you."

Zoro shrugged, looking forward again. "Suit yourself then."

Sanji ate his words and had to wrap his arms around Zoro as the bike suddenly shot forward. It was either that or risk falling off the bike. Pressing himself against the older's back he bristled. "You asshole! You did that on purpose!"

Turning onto the highway, Zoro continued forward ignoring him. _Shitty asshole! He's making fun of me, I know it!_

He felt the man's case pressing against his chest and winced as the corners pressed against his shoulder. "What the hell is in the thing anyway?"

No response._ I'll find out later..._

"You're not gonna get us lost going to your own house, are you?!"

That got a response. Zoro shouted over the engine. "I can get home just fine! Everything else just moves!"

His eye twitched. "What the hell kinda answer is that?! You're an idiot!"

"Shut the hell up, you're distracting me!"

Pressing his cheek against Zoro's shoulder as a wave of motion sickness kicked in, he decided to wait until they were on steady ground before he kicked his green ass all the way back to his car.

oOoOoOoO

Stopping at a red light, he chanced a quick glance at Sanji. Feeling the boy press his face against his shoulder with what he guess was fear, he now felt bad for purposely driving crazy to scare him.

"You good?"

"Shut the hell up, asshole." He grunted._ Good enough for name calling I guess..._

oOoOoOoO

He rose his head when the bike finally came to a stop. Glancing around, he estimated that they were only about five minutes out of town, in the countryside. No larger overly large houses, no excessive car horns blaring through the air. Reletively quiet. They were at the bottom of a hill though, out of place even for this area. Looking up the driveway, the grass was trimed with shrubs and small trees lined up the drive.

He scoffed. _Makes since, Marimo's can't survive in a city._

"What're you laughing at?"

"Oh, nothing." Taking his bag back from Zoro, he looked around confused. "So...you don't like crowded places ...or what exactly? Where's your house? I can't see it."

He watched as Zoro knocked the kickstand back up and started to pull the bike with him. "My sensei left his home for me when he passed away. No matter where I go or however long I'm gone, this place will be waiting for me." Sanji's eye's widened as a small smile appeared on the older man's face, making him seem like a completely different person then the guy he'd fought with all day. Completely relaxed.

"Hey, why aren't we riding the bike up the drive?" he asked, irratated. He really didn't want to have to walk up this hill.

Zoro didn't even look over at him, just pushing his bike. "Just come on. Or is it too far a walk for you, shit-cook."

"What'd you call me, Shitty-sensei?!"

He learned the reason why the were walking, though. It wasn't for any safety reasons, like random pets or kids running out infront of them. No, as they stood at the top, working up a sweat, he asked again.

"Why'd we walk up again."

Zoro smirked. "Just to piss you off." He seriously considered murdering the man right there. He looked forward and noticed that Zoro actually lived in an old tradional japanese house. He'd never really seen one like this though, or at least not one so well-kept. "Don't let the outside fool ya, most of the inside's been modernized. Except for the dojo and the meditation room."

_Still looks cool._

"You ever gonna tell me what I'll be doing?"

Pushing the bike forward again, Zoro replied. "When we get settled in."

_Jackass_.

"You can go ahead and go inside, I'm just gonna put this in the shed real quick."

"Fine."

After walking around the house _twice _to figure out where the door was, he slid the door open and was shocked at the state of the house. He was expecting it to be a mess, but this blew his expectations out the window. It wasn't a mess, it was worse...

...it was _clean_.

_Okay, I know I'll more than likely be cooking...but there has to be another reason than that. If its not cleaning...than what? _His bag fell to the floor as fear slowly crepted in. "W-What if he's some kinda sick pervert?! No one would find my body buried here!" he gripped his head as the violent images ran though his mind. "Oh, shit. Oh, shit. I'm gonna die here!"

"What are you muttering on about?",

"I'll kill you first!" Before even thinking on the consequences, Sanji slung his leg around and took Zoro by surprise, kicking him across the head with all of his strength.

It hit its mark, right in Zoro's face. The force sent him flying through his front door, effectively destroying it, and back out into the yard.

He didn't get back up when he landed. Cursing, Sanji ran out, kneeled beside the man and began shaking him violently. No response.

He grabbed at his hair and shot straight up, screaming. "Shit! I really killed him!"

oOoOoOoO

"Shit! I really killed him!"

_Oww...that actually hurt..._

"Damn it!"

_His voice is so annoying... _Groaning as he sat up, he rubbed his nose which he was postive that was broken. Bringing his hand back he noticed that there was blood. He decided now was the time to end Sanji's endless rant about what to do with his body. "I think you broke my nose."

His student's head swirled around and the relief that spread across his face was obvious. "Your alive!"

Spitting out blood that had started to gathering his mouth he slowly stood up. "Like your puny kick could knock me out." he was glad that the boy's anger distracted him enough not to notice that his balance wavered slightly. "Go get me a towel, the kitchen's down the hall on the left.

Muttering 'prick' as he went, Sanji disappeared back into the house.

_At least apologize, asshole._

Slowly walking back up the steps, he took in the damages of his door, thinking that it was a good idea to make extras considering all the fights he gets into. Not the first time he's gotten knocked through his own door.

"Oi." he barely had time to catch the towel that was thrown at him. Looking at the boy, he was shocked to find him glaring down at the floor. "I'm...sorry..." a blush appeared on his cheeks as he crossed his arms and snorted. "Don't expect anything more."

...

"You're food best be fucking amazing or you'll really be outside doing yard work." he smirked, but he couldn't imagine how threatening he looked with blood gushing from his nose. "Or better yet, digging those ditches you mentioned earlier."

"Shut the hell up, my food _is _fucking amazing." he stomped back towards the kitchen. "_You _fix the damn door. I'll cook something that'll even have _you _on your knees in ecstasy."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed._ I should've just made him pay for the bike._


	4. First Day On The Job Part 2

A/N: Sasuke14u- Well Zero101 we've done it, over 1000 views. I just wanted to thank everyone for keeping up with this story, and for being awesome! Just like always, feel free to leave reviews to tell us what you think. We should have a new story coming out soon too, so look forward to that! :)

Without further ado, here's the next part to ASL. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! XD

**Chapter 4. First Day On The Job Part 2**

_There's...nothing...here..._

He checked the cabinets. He could feel his frustration rising as he surveyed the contents of Zoro's kitchen, and finding _next _to nothing in it. All that was in the fridge was an expired carton of milk and...

"What the hell?" peering closer, his eyes narrowed. "It's...purple."

He rose to his full height, his eyes shadowed.

A minute passed. "Damn it, I can't work like this!"

Stomping out of the kitchen, he listened for any sounds from his teacher. Hearing water running, he followed the sound until he discovered the man wringing out a bloodstained towel at the sink in the bathroom. Zoro turned and slightly glared at him.

"You start cooking yet?"

He crossed his arms. "Take me to the store. Now."

Confusion washed over the man, actually silencing him for a few moments. "Huh?"

_Stupid._

"How am I supposed to cook when you have _nothing _to cook _with_?" More silence. Zoro cuffed his chin and appeared to actually be thinking over the question. "I'm serious. Take me to the store now."

Zoro scrubbed off the rest of the blood from his face. "Whiny lil' bitch. Let's just order a pizza and then I'll tell ya what else you'll be doing." he walked past him.

His fist clenched as if he'd just been slapped in the face. "You'd rather eat some greasy pizza then my cooking?..."

oOoOoOoO

Sanji sounded...crushed.

He chanced a glance over his shoulder, seeing the wounded look (more like a glare) on the boy's face looking down at the floor, and it actually made him feel bad. After the kid damaged his bike, and just about broke his nose, the brat could still make him _feel _bad.

Groaning, he ran a hand over his sore face and slightly covered his darkening cheeks. "Let me get my keys."

Sanji looked up, shocked. "What?"

He turned and said. "You just fill up the damn cart. I don't know shit about cooking." he looked over his shoulder. "Just don't break me, okay?"

_I've turned into a sap._

oOoOoOoO

His inner voice laughed. _Big scary marimo's a softy._

"Hey, wait. You're taking that case with us too?" Zoro gave him a stare that made him think it was a dumb question. _What the hell is in that shitty case?_ As they walked back outside, the door still broken off the hinges, he had to ask. "Tell me we're not taking the bike."

"I have a truck."

He sighed in relief. Until he actually saw Zoro's 'truck'. "What...the hell...it's worse than the bike!"

Zoro appeared offended as he opened the drivers side, holding a screwdriver that had magically appeared out of nowhere. _Did he have that when we left the house?_

"What's wrong with it?"

"Are you starting it with a screwdriver?"

"Uh, yeah?" Zoro answered, like using a screwdriver to start a deathtrap was completely normal. _Well, Marimo's are strange creatures..._

The truck gurgled to life, and his fears only rose as his teacher seemed to have sighed in relief because of the fact. "How is it that you got an almost brand new looking bike and a piece of shit truck."

"I had just finished building that bike and it _was _perfect..." Zoro glared at him from his seat, slight stab of guilt went through him. "...besides, this was my first truck and it's _just fine_."

He's never been this nervous around a vehicle in his life, but he wasn't going to give the older man the satisfaction of knowing how nervous he was now. He straightened and gave out his normal air of confidence. "As long as you don't kill us then. Let's go, I wanna finish dinner and go home."

oOoOoOoO

_Oh...my...god...I am never going to the store with this kid again._

After over an hour of nonstop talking about how this cut was better than that or how that snack is bad for you, Zoro was mentally exhausted. Seeing so many damn things shoved into the cart, half of which he wasn't sure of what it was, and watching as the total rise with each unknown item...

All he could do was growl at the kid. "You _better _find a way to make this last for more than a month."

The cocky bastard smirked as he continued to place the bagged food in the back of the truck. "Don't worry, this'll last awhile."

"And it better be fucking amazing."

He was shocked at the serious gaze Sanji gave him. "Don't doubt me."

His eye twitched. "How is it that you scratch up my bike and I get suckered into buying almost two hundred dollars worth of groceries?"

Sanji climbed into the passenger seat after all the food was in, he answered. "Cause you didn't have anything..._at all_, in your house." the kid actually gave a once over glance as lit a cigarette and took a long drag. "How long has it been since you had a full fridge?"

_Okay, I can answer that..._

After a good minute of thinking, he was shocked to come up empty. "Huh, I can't really remember. I don't cook." he caught the disbelief on Sanji's face, and he wished the cig would fall in the boy's lap. "What's with the face. It's not like I have a lot of people to entertain."

"So what? You just order take out everyday?"

"Yeah."

...

Sanji leaned back in his seat, his cigarette in his fingers. "I'm gonna fix that. You're not eating fast food while I'm working for you."

He sighed, waiting for the light to turn green. "Easier to order pizza."

Sanji turned towards him dramatically, enough to actually cause him to take his eyes off the road. "If _I _have to work for _you _as some shitty-ass _butler _than _I'm _going to make sure no crappy-ass take out comes _near _your house." the boy sat back with his arms crossed. "You fucked up hiring me."

He turned to pull up his driveway. "Probably did. Oh well, your still going to be working off your debt." he stopped. "And we really need to work on your language. Way too much dramatizing in that little speech."

oOoOoOoO

"Asshole." Sanji looked up. "Who's the kid?"

He was shocked to see the boy grin and charge for Zoro as he got out of the truck, and proceed to tackle the older man. But due to his smaller side it didn't faze him much. He stepped out of the truck to get a better look of the child that had Zoro's undivided attention.

Standing at barely five feet, even he thought the kid was cute in a chibi kinda way. A large fuzzy pink top hat sat over his shaggy brown hair, and his bangs fell over his eyes in wisps. Wearing a simple white shirt and a pair of brown khaki's with dirt smudges. The kid was cute.

And the two were actually walking away...

Leaving him alone to pack to the groceries...

And the thing that really pissed him off, was the fact that he could tell Zoro had completely blocked the kids vision so he wouldn't notice him standing there and proceeded to lead the boy inside.

He cuffed his mouth. "Hey, Asshole! I am not carrying all of this!"

oOoOoOoO

After all the food was put up and Sanji finally stopped bitching about where all the cooking utensils were, he sat back in his favorite couch in front of his TV. His buddy Chopper sat on the floor with his back leaning back against his legs, surfing through the channels until he found some show about a group of nerds and a hot girl.

"Do you understand half of what these guys are talking about?"

Chopper laughed at the girls current boyfriend freaking out, thinking that the nerds were going to blow up the moon. "Yeah, most of it I read about at school. But I guess some of it I haven't got to yet."

He chuckled, patting the boy's hat. "So how's school going? You doing okay?"

Chopper tilted his head up and grinned, warming his heart. "I'm doing really good in my medical studies. And I made some new friends...but..."

"What's wrong?"

Chopper scratch his hat. "Well, I think they're wanting me to got to public school. At least for a lil while."

That threw him off. "Why for?"

"They want me to experience life as a normal kid, I think."

He leaned back, his arms resting on the back of the couch. "Makes sense. You deserve to take it easy for awhile."

Chopper crawled up to seat next to him and asked in a hushed voice. "Oh yeah, who's the blonde guy? Is he one of your new friends?"

He snorted. "Name's Sanji. A student who's paying for the damages on my bike." He closed his eyes and sighed, though he could feel the boy studying him.

_I'll just nap until the foods ready..._

"Have you fixed your sleeping schedule? It seems your eyes are still a little dark, and what happened to your nose? Have you been fighting again?!"

"..."

_oOoOoOoO_

Zoro fell asleep.

_I guess that's a no._

He gently pushed Zoro to lay on the couch and grabbed a blanket from the hallway closet. Feeling satisfied, Chopper glanced down the next hall towards the next hall and wondered about the guy he brought.

_He's never brought anyone here...how strange. Wonder what Sanji's like._

Straightening his shirt, he trotted towards the kitchen to see what could have made Zoro trust this man enough to let him in his own home.

oOoOoOoO

After wiping out all the dust from the selves and placing the groceries in places he'd remember, he began to add the finishing garnishes to their meal. He smirked.

_I'll show him what a real pizza taste like._

Handmade tomato sauce seasoned to perfection with self grated cheese. Fresh onions and green peppers, some cut up spinach and basil. Thinly sliced pepperoni and ham. Baked long enough to have just a slight crunch and light drizzle of vinegrate.

Wiping his hands, he started to make a garden salad when the boy from earlier walked in.

He admitted, the kid was cute with his baggy clothes and overly large hat draping his body. If the boy stood next to him, he wouldn't even reach his shoulders.

_Zoro really doesn't seem like the type to like kids...so what's special about this little guy?_

"You stayin' for dinner?" he asked as he placed what was left of the spinach into a large mixing bowl.

The boy just continued to stare at him. _Weird_.

Still watching him as he started cutting up some vegetables, he tried again. "So...what's your name?"

"Who are you?"

He blinked, shocked at how serious the boy asked such a simple question, he laughed. "Guess it's only fair I introduce myself first." he wiped his hands off and reached one out to the boy. "Sanji Black."

It took a few cautious seconds, but the boy reached up and tentatively shook his hand. "Tony Chopper." Tony blushed as he released his hand and glanced away. "Everyone calls me Chopper though."

He grinned. "That's cool." he inspected the kid and decided to take a shot at why Chopper was studying him so hard. "Are you really close to Zoro?"

Chopper shuffled on his feet. "Yeah, he's my best friend." cute. "Besides, I'm his doctor so I'm always here checking up on him."

He laughed. "I honestly can't see that guy playing doctor, but whatever."

Chopper blinked. "No...I'm seriously his doctor."

...

"Huh?"

Chopper dug through his back pocket and pulled out a thin, slightly worn out wallet and should him his ID. It should all the basic information like name, age, etc. But on the bottom in profession, written clearly...

_Licensed Physical/Medical Doctor and Examiner._

...

"You're already a licensed Doctor and you're only 15?" he really didn't ask, it more of a statement. "Damn, you're a friggen genius."

Chopper grinned and squirmed. "That doesn't make me happy you saying that, you asshole."

_He's happy...but not happy..._

After the boy calmed down, he asked. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you...No, better yet, how'd you and Zoro meet?" he lowered his voice. "I know it's none of my business, but in all honesty he doesn't invite many people here. Zoro's a...really private person."

_So, he don't want people here...and yet he brought me here. Interesting._

He rubbed the side of his neck. "Well long story short, he's my teacher at school...I kinda purposely broke his bike..."

"You hurt his bike?!"

"Um, yeah...and instead of suspending me, he decides to make me work off the damages. I guess I'm going to be cooking and maybe cleaning until he thinks I've paid off the debt."

Chopper continued to stare at him as if he'd pissed off God himself and was still living. "WOW. Zoro never really gets mad at stuff like that if its an accident...but for you to purposely do it and all you have to do is cook." the boy's face turned thoughtful. "Wonder why?"

Wait, he should..."Do you know what's in that case he's always carrying?"

"Yeah."

He crouched down and grinned. "Can ya tell me?"

"No."

He could feel his visible eye twitch. "Is it some big secret? Or maybe something bad?"

Chopper shook his head. "It's nothing really bad. It's just not my place to tell you."

He blinked, thinking that kids love giving out secrets. "Huh." he shrugged. "Fair enough."

Gathering the pizza and the salad in each hand, he started back towards the main room. "Let's go get him."

The boy followed close behind. "He fell asleep."

He snorted. "We'll just have to wake his ass up then, now won't we."

oOoOoOoO

He nervously clutched the sides of his hat. _I have a bad feeling about this..._

oOoOoOoO

After setting the food down on the table next to the couch, he glanced down at his sleeping sensei.

_Well, doesn't he look comfy._

Zoro was fast asleep on his side with his arms crossed, a blanket twisted around him. He was shocked to see such a relaxed expression on the older mans face.

The damn case was leaning against the arm of the couch, still by its owners side. Easily accessible for him to take a peek inside.

_I'll leave it alone for now..._

Elbows on the back of the couch, he tapped his cheek in contemplation.

He muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Should I leave you alone..."

...

...

An evil smirk appeared on his face.

oOoOoOoO

He was shocked that Sanji, who seemed so curious about Zoro's prized possession, just left it alone. He scratched his hat in confusion, thinking about all the times people had tried to take a look inside it, only to get hurt by his angry older friend.

oOoOoOoO

_What the fuck_...Flat on his back on the floor, a confused Zoro looked up at the couch. _Wasn't I up there? How'd I end up on the floor..._

"Time to wake up, Sleepy jackass."

He looked up and saw Sanji leaning over the furniture , grinning widely. His eyes narrowed. "You asshole."

It was when Sanji straightened that he noticed that he had taking off his overcoat and tie, the top two buttons of his under shirt had been unclasped revealing his collarbone and how thin the boy's neck was.

He snorted._ Doubt he'll fill out anymore than that, scrawny ass kid._

"What're you staring at, Marimo?" Sanji posed, taking a stance that remind him of his buddy Brook. _All that was missing was the flowers..."_Are you mystified by my beauty? I know I'm sexy."

He stood up and ran a hand through his hair. "More like scrawny." Chopper walked around the blonde and stepped up to him, he smiled and patted the younger boy on the head. "Sorry I fell asleep."

Chopper smiled. "It's okay."

Sanji's eye twitched. He turned and a reached over something. "Whatever, come on. I've finished dinner. I want you to eat so I can get back to my car and go home."

He glanced down at the plate in the kids hand. "Thought you said we weren't ordering pizza." he smirked. "Cheater."

Sanji's playful grin dropped into an offended glare. "I cooked this. Never compare my cooking to those cheap-ass fast food joints."

_I feel like I'm digging my own grave..._Hoping to appease the angry cook, he reached and stole a slice before the boy could say anything and took a bite.

...

He had to stop himself from moaning. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had cooked for him. And he _definitely _couldn't think of a time when food tasted this good. He was just about to compliment the food when he caught Sanji's smug expression.

Shrugging his shoulder, he took another bite. "'s okay."

It was pretty funny watching Sanji stomp around and yelling about marimo's having no tastebuds. He reached over and gave Chopper a piece, who immediately complimented the chef for the taste.

"At least the kid has taste." Sanji pointed behind him. "I even took the time to make you something for later." After they've finished their meal. "Now, take me to my car. I need to make sure Luffy hasn't destroyed my house yet." Sanji demanded.

He sighed, grabbing for his bike keys. "Fine, fine." as he walked to the door, he paused when he noticed something strange. He was about to ask, but Sanji beat him to it.

"You're welcome." the boy said as he walked past him and out the now attached door.

He followed the young man, noting that he was walking towards the truck. "Oi"

Sanji stopped as he opened the door, giving him a confused stare. "What now?"

Zoro felt his satisfaction rise as he told the boy. "We're not taking the truck."

A horrified expression took over the boy's face.

_Oh, this is going to be fun._


	5. Zoro's Room

A/N: Sasuke14u- Hey everybody! :3 Sorry for the late update. It would've been up sooner, but y'know...stuff happens. Yeah...well, here ya go.

**Chapter 5. Zoro's Room**

"Sanji, you look horrible." Nami stated, peering closely at his face. "You okay?"

He grinned, eyes turning into hearts with shadows. "Oh, Nami! How your concern fills me with such joy!"

She checked her nails dismissively. "If you say so."

He was exhausted after his first day of being his sensei's slave. It wasn't what he had to do, because cooking was his passion and it could never really tire him out. What made him tired was the fact it took too damn long for Zoro to find the school so he could get his car and go home. The man was apparently even more directionally challenged at night time.

It was almost 11:30 by the time they got to the school after all the detours and turn-arounds. He was shocked to see that when they finally got there, Zoro had at least waited for him to get into his car and drive off.

It's a shame that when he finally got home, he discovered that Luffy had stayed the night again...

...and destroyed his precious kitchen.

He spent the rest of the night and half of the next morning cleaning his kitchen back to its former glory.

And the same thing happened the next four days. He'd cook for the marimo, and go home to find his kitchen destroyed. By thursday night, it took untill Luffy demanded dinner that he finally snapped and kick the kids ass on out of his house.

He glanced over his shoulder to glare at the boy in question, but Luffy was too busy listening to Usopp telling some ridiculous stories.

_Luffy can't be in my house alone anymore. And Zoro seems to be running late. _Hmph_, probably got lost._

"I'm here. Sorry, I'm late."

_Speak of the devil, here comes Zoro sensei now. _Slightly disheveled and his face flushed, probably from the bike ride here. Zoro stepped up to his desk, pulling his glasses on as he set the all-too-familiar case next to it with great care. He shrugged his bag off his shoulder and let it hang off the back of his chair. "Okay, I went ahead and assigned you each a book, each having a number."

"ZORO!" He burst out laughing as Luffy flung himself across the room and tackled the older man in one of his bone crushing hugs. "You made it this time."

Instead of getting mad like he expected, Zoro merely patted the strawhats head and slowly pried him off. "Good to see you too." when Luffy didn't move, he continued. "Go take your seat so I can start class."

"Kay!" he bounded back to seat.

_Maybe he just likes childish personalities. Total Tsundere._

"Okay. You are going to be holding onto these for the rest of the year, so please take care of them." Zoro's faced darkened. "I do not want to find any form of writing or any pictures drawn in them."

He could practically feel the fear building up inside the small room. He'll admit that Zoro could be quite intimidating, but he knew the truth. He saw the real Zoro, the one that just likes to sleep and take care of (or be taken care of by) chibi doctors. The one who can't tell left from right.

A pretty much hopeless man.

He chuckled.

"Is everything alright, Sanji?" he glanced up and noticed that the whole class was staring at him, though Zoro's was a little more intense._ Oops, did I laugh out loud?_

He smirked. "Just thinking that it's pretty amazing that you found you're way here so fast today."

oOoOoOoO

One. Two. Three...

_Damn it._

He adjusted his glasses and decided to ignore the comment. _I'll get him later..._

He sat down and picked the first book. "Come sign your name on the registration. Coby, you're up first."

He sighed when he noticed the kid was shaking as he staggered up to the front. _It's going to be a long day._

_oOoOoOoO_

Leaning over the rail, he gazed over the parking lot with a cigarette between his lips, the others were eating the lunches that he brought, talking amicably about this and that.

"Hey, Sanji? What's Zoro like?" Nami asked, taking a bite of a scone.

He glanced over his shoulder, confused. "Why do you ask?"

She appeared to think over her answer. "Well...you said his house was more old fashioned, which you don't see a lot nowadays. The only thing you really do is clean and _maybe _pick up some trash. It seems too easy of work considering the damages to a custom made bike."

Usopp perked up. "She's got a point. You think there's some other reason for bringing you over to his house everyday."

He exhaled. "I've already thought about that. All the asshole really does is sleep and play with his kid friend from down the road."

Usopp crossed his arms and scowled. "I still can't imagine him playing with little kids. He seems too...intimidating for that."

Luffy grinned, deciding to throw in his two cents. "Maybe he just likes ya!"

His cigarette fell from his lips.

After maybe a full minute of silence, Usopp and Nami burst out laughing. Luffy soon joined. He didn't.

"I should kick your ass for suggesting that."

Luffy just shrugged his shoulders. "I just think you two have become close." the boy crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. "He seems to argue with ya a lot."

He was confused now. "So...how does that lead you to thinking that he likes me?"

"He doesn't fight with anybody else. So you're special!" Luffy beamed.

...

Nami leaned back. "In a weird...twisted way...that makes sense. It either means that he likes you or hates you."

"Hate would be preferable."

Luffy frowned. "I don't see what the big deal is...Zoro's cool!"

_Figures._

oOoOoOoO

He had taken to having his lunch hour with Ace in the gym. Recalling the past, telling the man of his adventures around the world, all the different fighters he's fought. It was nice talking to his old friend.

Even if the man constantly flirted with him...

He was currently cleaning his prized sword, Wado, while Ace shot hoops. Staring up at the blade, watching the lights bounce off it surface, he closed his eyes and felt a moment of innermost peace...

"Zoro!"

_So much for innermost peace..._

He didn't even get the chance to open his eyes when he was suddenly pushed over, his back colliding against the seats behind. "What the hell, man?" Everyone seemed to want to push him for some reason recently.

Ace grinned. "Sorry, thought ya fell asleep on me."

He sighed, he took off his glasses and ran a hand over his eyes. His head was pounding from the lack of sleep. Sure, he took naps but he hadn't had a full night sleep since...

He blinked. _When did I sleep through a full night? I can't remember._ He yawned. _Maybe I should talk to Chopper..._

"You okay, Zoro?"

"...Yeah...I fine."

oOoOoOoO

He was now starting to get used to his teachers strange behavior, between sleeping where ever or training in the dojo, Zoro was surprisingly easy to be around...though they did have the occasional bout's here and there. The man stayed pretty much out of his way when he cooked or picked up around the house, and other than name calling Zoro pretty much stayed silent.

At least Zoro now trusted him enough to follow him home after school.

And since Zoro trusted him, he decided to not go snooping through that mystery case the man always carried. No matter how much it nagged him to do so.

Zoro was now just sleeping on the couch, softly snoring as he folded up clothes he'd washed earlier. Out of some morbid curiosity, the last time he done the clothes he tried on one of his shirts to see how big Zoro was compared to himself.

_He's bigger than me..._

"Now, where should I put these?" he muttered, picking up the basket with the neatly folded clothes. "Where's his room..."

Walking down the hall and passed the kitchen, he passed by one of the extra rooms that he hadn't visited yet. He shrugged, and processed through the door, only to find a storage closet.

_Maybe I should wake the guy up..._

Setting the basket down, he strutted back towards Zoro.

"Oi." the man's eye twitched before burying his face deeper in the cushions. The neck of his black long sleeved shirt stretched at the movement, revealing more of his back, his legs shifted slightly. _How childish. _He shook his shoulder and asked. "Where's your room? I got clothes to put up." Zoro's eye opened slightly, but he could tell the man was far from awake. He leaned in closer. "Hey, where's your room."

Zoro's eye closed again, mumbling. "Chopper, you know...where it is...I'm tired...I'll play later."

He had to choke back the laugh that was bubbling up his throat. Knowing that the eye that Zoro opened was his bad eye, he decided to play along. "I forgot, Zoro."

Zoro's shoulders shifted before rolling over on his back. "Last...door...on the right."

He grinned. "Thank you, Zoro-chan."

Rushing back over to the discarded basket, he found his destination. He was...shocked to say the least at what he discovered upon opening the door. Shocked enough to step back and drop the clothes on the floor.

_What the hell..._

_oOoOoOoO_

_Wait..._His eyes shot opened, realizing his critical mistake. He shot up and darted towards his room. It's been so long since he even looked in there, he'd forgotten how he left it. _Oh shit. _Too late. Sanji was standing in the doorway to his room in his usual white button-up shirt and tight black pants, he ran a hand down his face and groaned.

Sanji's head slowly turned to reveal a strange form of wide eyed horror at what he discovered. The reason why he didn't want anyone in there...the reason why _he _never really went in there unless it was something important was because-

"What the hell man..." Sanji threw his arms up, effectively tossing the basket of clothes he'd been carrying into the air. The clothes fell to the floor.

"So I did have more clothes." He rubbed his neck sheepishly when he noticed the glare the boy was giving him. "It's not as bad as it l-"

"Your room is destroyed! What the hell is all this stuff?!"

"It's stuff I g-"

"I think I just saw something move!"

"Now that's just stu-"

As the ranting continued, his patience with Sanji's nonsense and flailing was getting on his last nerve.

"What the hell, man?!" Sanji yelled, rubbing his head where he just struck.

"Stop being a baby, I wasn't even going to _let _you clean this room."

"What? You think I can't clean it?"

He was getting confused now. "What are you talking about? Shouldn't that make you happy?"

But his words fell on deaf ears as Sanji stomped over the random piles in the room and started throwing stuff out the door. If he hadn't moved, he would've gotten chucked in the head with what looked like one of his old boots that he lost...

...about four months ago.

_Well, at least I might be able to sleep in my own bed tonight..._

Sanji fell and was buried by a avalanche of random stuff, muffling the range of curses from the boy. He could feel a line of sweat running down his cheek as he continued to watch the boy at work.

_Maybe not._

He backed up a step. "I'm just...going to lay back down..."

Sanji's glare actually terrified him. "The hell you are. Get the fuck in here, you shitty marimo!"

_Damn it._

At least it was friday.

oOoOoOoO

10:30. It took over three hours just to find the bed, which he was currently sitting on, shuffling through a pile of junk that Zoro had thrown there.

"Damn it, marimo. You're the biggest packrat I've ever seen! How much shit do you need?" He shouted, holding up what looked like a skull, grimacing.

Zoro paled. "Be careful with that. Chopper made that for me when he started medical school." the man reached a hand out. "Let me have it."

He scowled. "Then _why _the hell is it in this mess?"

"..."

"Well?"

Zoro cheeks actually reddened, almost looking bashful. "At least it was on top of everything..."

"What a shitty answer."

Something shiny caught his attention beneath the pile, digging he pulled out an old trophy. He couldn't make out the inscriptions on the label due to mistreatment. "What's this for?"

The man was putting down another box of stuff to look through in the hallway when he asked. Zoro looked over his shoulder. "I won a few tournaments when I was younger...you might find a few of those."

He scoffed at the man as he set the trophy to the side. "Shouldn't you take care of the things you've won? And what'd you win, exactly? The label's messed up."

"Kendo."

Surprised, he glanced up. "Kendo? Like sword fighting? You were into that kinda stuff when you were younger?"

"Hmm." Zoro had his back towards him, sorting out the piles of dirty laundry that had clustered most of the room. "You could say that?" He let the conversation fall as he continued to clean, forgetting about how late it was.

_..._

_oOoOoOoO_

_..._

_Huh?_

Sanji blinked as he stared at the ceiling, confused.

_When did I fall asleep?_

He rose, feeling a blanket drop down into his lap. The room was dark, and now clean.

_Zoro must have finished the room_. He grimaced, looking down at himself._ Ugh, he even tucked me in._

_..._

_I fell asleep in his bed..._

He was officially scarred for life.

Stretching his legs out, he collided with something solid. Leaning over to see what it was, he barely covered his mouth in time to stifle the scream that was bubbling up his throat. There Zoro was curled up on his side with his back facing him, snoring softly.

He sighed. _Don't you look peaceful? _He crossed his legs, his elbows resting on his knees as he balanced on his hands. _Could've just put me in a spare room or something..._

_Shit! I fell asleep in a man's bed...ugh. _

_I really need a cigarette._


	6. The Day And Life Of Zoro

**Chapter 6. The Day And Life Of Zoro**

-9:32 am -(Sanji starts work at 7:00am on weekends)

"Is table Nine's order out yet?"

"Already walked out."

"Where's table Two's consommé soup?"

"What's that noise?"

"Will someone turn off that shitty alarm!"

The Baratie was busy as usual, being one of the few high-class restaurants in the city...even if the workers weren't so much. Not only being the cooking instructor at the school, but the owner of this fine establishment, Chef Zeff was a force to be reckoned with. Being a retired navy chef, the other cooks could feel the rage that got him recognized as RedLeg Zeff.

Him and Zeff has been through a lot of shit together. He respected the man, looked up to him as a father...

"Beansprout! Hurry the hell up!"

...didn't mean he liked him.

"Shut the hell up, shitty geezer!" That earned him a kick to his skull. Oh well. It was just like any other day in his book.

_I almost wish I stayed at the marimo's..._

oOoOoOoO

-9:25 am-

Zoro glared at the digital letters on his clock. _I slept in? How odd._ He took notice that at some point, he must've dragged a blanket over himself. _When was the last time I actually slept in my bed?..._

"Sanji? Hey, you still here?" he called, not really expecting an answer. _Probably went home for the weekend. _

After taking care of business in the bathroom, he made his way into the kitchen, carrying his duffel bag with him. _What do I have to do today...I know I've got to grade yesterdays tests, and I need to talk to Chopper...maybe I can call up Ace for a drink._

He smiled at that, setting his things onto the table. _Maybe after I grade the papers..._

He stared down at the bag, took a deep breath, and quickly made his way to the dojo to begin his mediation and early morning workout. _The papers can wait._

-12:00 pm-

"Here," Chopper said, holding a bottle of water out for him. The boy had came a little over an hour ago to check up on him, just to make sure that he wasn't dead. . . or if he had killed Sanji. Chopper found him while he was still in the dojo, working through his stances.

Taking it, Zoro exhaled a tired breath. "Thanks." Right now he was sitting crosslegged, only wearing a pair of black yoga pants.

"I said I'd wait for you to complete your workout before i give you your checkup. That was the deal." the doctor paused. "You should really eat something, Zoro. Sanji left you a plate in the fridge. I want you as comfortable as possible when I start."

He gave a small laugh. "It's almost scary when you get serious. Alright, let's get some grub."

-12:45 pm- (AN: Every Saturday, Chopper comes to give him a checkup. Much to his irritation, but he'd do it to make his friend feel better)

It didn't take him long to eat. He refused to admit it, but the breakfast that Sanji prepared before he left was amazing. Now, he was sitting on his bed with his shirt off, Chopper kneeling in front of him holding a stethoscope to his chest.

"Heart rates normal, and for once, nothing's broken or bleeding." Chopper stated, taking the plugs out of his ears.

He scoffed at that. "I don't get hurt that much."

"No, you get hurt _a lot_, its just your view of getting injured is seriously skewed." The youth crossed his arms. "I guess you working at this school is more or less keeping you out of trouble", he paused looking thoughtful. "You seem to be doing a bit better. You're getting some of your color back. And look!" Chopper grinned, pointing at his forehead.

He went cross-eyed trying to see what the hell the boy was talking about. "Look at what?"

"Some of your angry wrinkles are gone!" He giggled, tugging his hat down to cover his face.

He glared. "Yeah. Ha." Forgoing putting his shirt back on, he stood up from the bed. "You going to hang out here for a bit?"

Chopper shrugged his bag over his shoulder. "Sorry, I can't today. Auntie wants me home after I get done with you."

"She doing okay? Last I saw of her, she was about to go to jail." _Ah...fond memories._

"Yeah, she's fine. After we explained that Auntie only beat Wapol up because he was trying to steal our house, the police were willing to let her off on probation."

He laughed. "That's good to hear." he said, stretching his arms. "Well, your welcome to stay here as long as you need."

Chopper gave a watery grin. "Thanks, Zoro. I'll come see you tomorrow."

After seeing the boy off, he was alone again. (AN: FOREVER ALONE ZORO!) Glancing around the room, the silence was starting to get to him. He glanced over at the ungraded tests.

_This is stupid._

He headed for his liquor cabinet.

_Time to call Ace._

(AN: Seriously Zoro?! Do your freakin' job already! LAZY PROCASTINATOR!)

oOoOoOoO

Leaning against the railing on the second floor of the restaurant, Sanji savored the nicotine filling his lungs. He heard the door behind him open then close, uneven footsteps slowly closing in on him.

Zeff stood beside him, watching as people walked into the restaurant. "You need to stop pissing off the other chefs, runt. I have half-a-mind to kick your sorry ass out the door."

He snorted, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and flicked it away. "They're shitty chefs anyway."

...Thud!

He cursed, rubbing the bump that was now on the back of his head. "Shitty or not, start getting along with them. We can't have you scaring away anymore workers."

He blinked. "You sure that's not Patty? Shit! Stop kicking me, dammit!"

...

"I heard there's some bastard arsonist going around. I want'cha to be careful, you hear me beansprout."

"Yeah, yeah."

After a few minutes of unneeded name calling and random kicks, Zeff sat down next to him while he drew another light. He broke the awkward silence. "How's school?"

As odd as their relationship is, he looked up to the old man as some kind of twisted father. It may not show a lot, but he knew Zeff worried about him.

"It's fine."

"Heard you pretty much kicked Luffy out of your house."

He groaned. "He kept destroying my place! And since I've been _forced _to work for that shitty teacher,-"

"You damaged his bike. You're lucky he's not making you pay for it." Zeff cut in.

Ignoring Zeff, he continued. "-I had to kick him out."

More silence.

"How's that teach been treating you, anyway?"

He sighed, leaning back against the wall. "He's a fucking moron! All he does is sleep, and I'm pretty sure he's a alcoholic considering how much liquor I've found hidden in his cabinets. And I had to camp out there because I found his disgusting bedroom!"

Zeff laughed at him. "You slept over?"

oOoOoOoO

-3:00 pm-

He laughed as Ace tripped over the table while reaching for the Jack Daniels.

Ace plopped down, leaning back into the recliner one leg crossed over the other. Once again the man had somehow lost his shirt, and just like in college, he wore low hung shorts that barely reached past his knees. The ever constant orange hat sat beside one of the discarded bottles.

Ace gulped a shot, exhaled, and grinned over at him. "Man, it's been _years _since we've drank together."

He nodded, glancing down at his glass. "Since my last year in college." he drank, enjoying the warmth that spread through him. "Almost three years ago."

"Aren't you glad I introduced you to my buddy jack?"

He snorted. "I remember more of you forcing me to drink."

"We had fun." Ace sat forward, his grin turning mischievous. "You were cuter when you were chibi." He must've made a face, because the older man started to laugh. "Oh, relax a little. You just replaced it with being totally hot."

His cheeks grew warmer. "Don't ruin my buzz, man."

oOoOoOoO

-Ace's POV-

_It's been so long since I've seen him so relaxed._

Zoro sat before him, leaning comfortably against the couch with his eyes closed, his knees slightly apart. He almost feared that Zoro had fallen asleep on him.

Inching forward, he laughed as a soft snore was heard. _Asshole._

He thought back to the younger, seriously uptight version of the man before him and smiled.

Zoro was the size of any 15 year old boy; tall, lanky, not quite yet fitting into his own body yet (though he was a little bit more muscular than the average teen), and the green hair always helped him stand out. He was a second year at the time, and at 18 he became somewhat of a big brother figure to Zoro.

At least he thought so...for awhile.

Yeah, after some time he become attached to the boy. He grew so fast after the first year, and it took about that long to get Zoro to really open up. During that first year, all he'd ever do was study and train. He preferred to be by himself.

He laughed to himself, remembering his first impression of the man.

_(Seven years earlier, Ace's dorm room)_

_The sound of the door opening and closing woke him up. Lying on his back with his arms crossed behind his head, he glanced over at the intruder. Confusion flooded his mind as he stared at the kid before him. Standing at maybe 5'6, the green haired boy sat his bag on the floor by his feet, staring back at him. Dressed in a simple white shirt and a faded pair of jeans, he didn't appear to be anything special; excluding the hair._

_And the serious look on his face._

_"You lost kid?" he asked, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head._

_The boy's eye narrowed further. "No, I'm your new roommate." his eyes wandered to the extra bed before picking his bag pack up and tossing it over._

_He blinked. "Aren't you a little young?" his eyes caught a long case being set on the bed gently. _Wonder what that is..._He laughed. "Or are you one of those brainy types?"_

_The boy shrugged his shoulders, pulling clothes out of his bag. _

_He stood and held out his hand, grinning, the boy stared at him confused. "Well, roomie. The name's Ace D. Portgus. Yours?"_

_After a few seconds of hesitation, the kid gripped his hand. He was shocked in a little bit of pink spread across the youths cheeks. "Roronoa Zoro."_

(Back to present)

He smiled, covering Zoro with a blanket.

"I'm out, Zoro. See ya at school." Zoro didn't wake. He smirked, leaning over and placed a gentle kiss on the man's lips. Standing up while licking his lips, he muttered. "That's for not calling me during your trips."

He waved and left, his grin still in place.

With Jack.

oOoOoOoO

-4:45 pm-

_That asshole._

He woke up to find out that his friend had left with his bottle of Jack, and didn't bother to wake him up without so much as a goodbye.

_Ungrateful asshole._

He stood from his spot on the couch, stretching his arms over his head, and while yawning made his way to the bathroom.

_Better go ahead and take a shower before I start grading those papers._

oOoOoOoO

He clocked out at five.

Sitting in his car, Sanji had a tough decision to make. He thought back to the promise he made with Zoro about making sure he never ate fast food while he was working for him. Starting his car, he made his choice. He smirked, also remembering that he said he was going to make the man regret making him work off his debt.

He sped off onto the highway, back towards his teachers house.

...

...

_He's like a snake._

When he opened the door to his teachers house, the first thing that he noticed was the shot glasses on the table. Secondly, his eyes followed the trail of clothes to the bathroom.

His eyes widened. _Is he getting laid?!_

No, couldn't be. On closer inspection, he saw there was only set of clothes that trailed to the door. Also, the fact that there wasn't any incriminating noises coming from the other side reaffirmed his thoughts. _And _he just couldn't see anyone wanting to sleep with a man with Zoro's personality. He frowned. _Okay, that was pretty harsh. Not a _lot _of people would, but still_. He smirked, that sounded a little better.

He made his way down the hall, gathering the discarded clothes on the way. He heard a loud thunk, followed by a string of curses.

_He must be really drunk._

Holding the clothes in his arms, he gently tapped the door of the bathroom with his foot. "Oi! You okay in there?" He barely had enough time to jump back when the door swung open, revealing a slightly flushed Zoro staring at him wide eyed.

"What're you doing here?"

A few things went through his mind as he stared at the man before him. The fact that Zoro stood before him naked, except for the towel that barely hung around his hips wasn't missed. Lines of water ran down bronzed skin, stretched over tight muscles, Zoro was muscular without over doing it.

His eyes widened, seeing the large menacing scar that ran from the mans right shoulder to his left hip. It looked as if someone had tried to cut Zoro in half, and it appeared to be still not fully healed yet. He could make out many other scars as well, that had already faded into thin white lines.

"I'm flattered, really, but my eyes are up here." Zoro stated, sounding bored.

Sanji flushed, realizing that he'd been caught staring. He snapped. "You have nothing worth staring at." He turned his head, but didn't take his eyes off the scar. "Who the hell did you piss off?" Zoro subconsciously ran a hand over the scar, muttering under his breath, and proceeded to ignore his question as he headed for his bedroom.

_Asshole_.

Dropping the clothes in the laundry room, he made his way to the kitchen. "Hey! You eat anything, yet?!"

After a few moment of silence, his eye began to twitch. "If he went to sleep..." He stomped towards Zoro's room, raised his leg, and kicked the door open. He blushed yet again.

_At least he put on pants..._

Zoro had laid back down on his bed with his arm over his eyes, he couldn't tell if the man was asleep or not, his feet hanging off the edge of the bed. Walking over to him, he glared down at the older man.

_How is the laziest man on the planet built like this?_

"Oi." he kicked the mans leg. "Wake the hell up."

The man rose his arm, glaring at him. "What?"

He crossed his arms. "Don't _what _me, you ungrateful asshole."

oOoOoOoO

_Little prick._

He rolled over on to his side, his back facing the boy. "It's Saturday. Aren't you supposed to be working?"

The bed dipped as Sanji sat down. "Just got off, and I don't appreciate the fact that the first thing I had to see was clothes thrown on the floor. AND I'M SCARRED FOR LIFE SEEING YOUR ASS!"

He uncovered his ears. "What's the big deal?" glaring, he asked. "So, why are you here again?"

"Making sure you don't completely destroy the diet I'm putting you through."

He was now confused. "What diet?"

"The 'No shitty ass fast food' diet."

Smirking, he sat up. "How sweet. Didn't know you cared so much about my health."

Sanji scoffed as he rose to his feet, hands in his pockets. "I don't give a shit about your health." He walked towards the door, and without looking back. "It's my pride as a chef."

Sanji left the room.

He scratched his head.

_I give him points for having some pride...except for anything with breasts..._Groaning, he rose to his feet. _I better start working._

_oOoOoOoO_

He never thought he would become almost comfortable in his teachers home, but here he was, eating dinner while the guy graded papers across from him. Now fully dressed in red sweatpants and a white sleeveless shirt, Zoro made an interesting picture of conflicting colors and thin rimmed glasses sliding down his nose.

The ever-present case sat by Zoro's feet.

He set his fork down, still staring at the oblivious marimo. "You look stupid in red."

Zoro didn't even look up from his papers, just continued to make red marks.

Groaning, he leaned back on the chairs back legs. He glanced down at his watch. He decided to ask Zoro a question that had been bothering him since he started working for the guy. No matter how many times he's asked, the immediate 'None of your business' followed soon after. "What exactly is in that case you always carry around?"

Zoro took off his glasses and placed them on the table, knowing that the man was reluctant to talk about it. Leaning over, Zoro grabbed the strap of the case and placed it on the table. It was just a plain white, rectangular case. No names. No intricate designs. Though there were a few scratches and chips along.

_Doesn't look like anything special to me._

Zoro chuckled. "You know...I gave you a lot of opportunities to check this out yourself."

...

"You mean you _wanted _me to look in it?!" he pointed accusingly at his teacher. "Then why the hell did you keep telling me I couldn't?!"

Zoro only smirked. "'Cause it was funny." _You shitty bastard!_ Turning serious, Zoro unclasped the locks. "You still wanna know? Then stop pointing at me and sit the fuck down."

To be continued...


	7. Kuina

A/N: Sasuke14u~ Hello everyone! Woah...it's been a while. o_o Haha- sorry about that. Well, the holiday's over now, so i promise the next updates wont take this long. Uwahhh!  
Alright then! Time for some man tears.

**Chapter 7. Kuina**

_'Let's promise that one of us will become the greatest swordsman!'_

_'I will become the greatest! So great the my name reaches the heavens!'_

oOoOoOoO

The locks on the case clicked open, the lid pushed back, a sense of calm overwhelmed him as he stared down at his most prized possession. Resting on a dark purple cushion, the sheathed blade waited to be drawn.

Stroking the side of the sword, he smiled gently down at the blade as he thought of it's previous owner.

"You know, people are going to think you're crazy smiling down into a case like that..." Sanji said from his spot across from him. "It's kinda creepy."

He snorted. "Whatever." sighing, he gently picked the sheath. "This is Wado Ichimonji."

...

"How is it that you can carry a sword around with you at school?" the blonde asked, eyes wide.

He glared. "You know that giant cross in Hawkeye's office?"

"Yeah, so?"

"That's actually a large claymore." as Sanji gasped, he added. "The cross necklace he wears is a concealed blade as well." He blinked as Sanji slammed his forehead against the table. "You okay?"

"Yeah." he mumbled. "Our school's fucked up."

Shrugging, he slowly drew the blade. "What do you expect with people like Hawkeye and Shanks running the place?" the light reflected as he tilted the blade towards the light.

"It's beautiful." Sanji head tilted to meet his eyes. "So, what's so important about that thing? Did you win it from somebody?"

He leaned his head back, still gazing at the blade.

oOoOoOoO

_12 years ago (Zoro age 10)_

_Standing before the well known dojo near his hometown, he glared at the man smiling down at him. Arms crossed defiantly, Zoro puffed out his chest. At average height and a slight build, you'd never expect the guy to be the master of the facility. Long dark hair pulled back from his face with thin framed glasses, he didn't appear as much of a threat in the youths eyes. "A duel?" the elder questioned, the smile still present._

_He stomped, pointing his finger at the man with unneeded dramatics. "Yes! I challenge you for the title to this dojo!"_

_The mans grin actually got bigger. "And what do I gain if I were to win?"_

_He blinked, having not thought of that. "Oh...Uh, okay. If you win, then I'll train here."_

_His glare hardened when he heard the other laugh. "Okay, then. I'll take that bet. But I do have one question."_

_Head tilted slightly in confusion, he asked. "What?"_

_"Aren't you supposed to be in school, young man?"_

oOoOoOoO

Leaning forward in his seat, he was shocked when Zoro suddenly laughed, his face brightening. "I'd be laughing too if some pipsqueak started demanding a fight."

"Thinking back on it I guess it wasn't my brightest decision." his teacher smiled, eyes calm as he gently set the blade down on the table. He brought his hands back, setting his elbows on the surface and cupping his hands. "Oh well. It was a step closer to my dream."

"I'm guessing your dream is cutting people up with sharp things...honestly, man, that's kinda creepy."

Zoro glared. "Jackass."

"So...I'm take it you didn't win against the guy?" Zoro sighed, shaking his head. "That sucks."

"He wasn't even the one I fought against..."

Okay, I'm confused. "What, he just blew off your challenge?"

"I wouldn't say it like that...he just decided to put all his trust on his best student." his teacher stated, running a hand through his hair.

He crossed his arms. "I guess that makes since. So, you lost to the guy he paired you off with."

_What the fuck?_

The man before was actually blushing. "It...wasn't a guy that I lost too..."

...

"YOU LOST TO A-"

oOoOoOoO

_"A _girl_?!" Zoro shouted, thrashing his arms around. "Are you making fun of me?!"_

_The owner frowned, clearly not impressed with the boy's attitude. "Kuina is my best student. I believe this will be a good test to see if you are worthy of winning this facility."_

_Standing inside the training room of the place, one wall had wooden swords on racks, one with sets of sparing gear. Exercise mats were spread out across the floor. The place didn't appear any different than any other Recreational place he had visited._

_He glared over at the girl standing beside the man. A few years older, he just reached past her shoulders in height. Chin length black hair, dark eyes, thin frame, t-shirt and shorts, she was like a lot of girls Zoro had seen in the course of his life._

_In his mind. _Nothing special.

_He scoffed. "Why can't you fight me?"_

_The man smiled. "Are you scared to fight my daughter?"_

_"No!" he stalked off into the training room, taking a wooden sword from the wall. Deciding more was better, he had three in each hand and in his mouth._

_The girl, Kuina, glared down her nose at him. "You don't even look like a challenge, kid. Have you ever dueled anyone before"_

_Voice muffled, one sword fell from his mouth as he answered. "No, thi' i the fi'st 'ime ho'di'g a s'ord."_

_They took their stance, swords drawn, the owner off to the side. "Okay, bow to each other." Zoro bowed, another sword fell. "Begin."_

_He charged, yelling, swords drawn at his sides. Kuina stood her ground, her sword held above her head._

_"HAH!"_

oOoOoOoO

"One strike." Sanji repeated, appearing stunned at the turn of the story.

He sighed, leaning back against his seat. "Yup. Knocked me right out. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy."

The blonde crossed his arms, glaring. "You deserved it. You shouldn't fight a lady."

"Hey." he barked, once again glaring. "You shouldn't undermine people for their sex, kid. If the fighter is willing, then they deserve to be taken seriously."

Sanji snorted. "Still isn't right."

"Whatever. So, I moved into the dojo-"

"What about school? Shit, what did your parents think about you just up and running away?" Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. Sanji must've sensed his distress, because he quickly added. "Hey, if it's too personal..."

"Nah, it's okay."

_Chopper's been wanting me to talk to someone..._he glanced over at the boy._ I think he's okay to talk to._

He didn't know why, but he was almost comfortable with his student. Sanji was someone he could argue with without feeling too bad, considering the boy was all about making comebacks at him as well. He could fight with him on equal terms._ Probably best not to mention that to anyone_. It was nice to have someone around almost all the time.

He rubbed his chest as a tight feeling overcame him.

_Weird._

"I didn't have parents and was living in foster care...they didn't seem to mind the move too much." he winced when he heard Sanji's intake of breath. "As for school...I didn't care for much about it." he glanced over and glared. "Don't give me that pity ass look. It was all good. It did kind of shock me the sensei let me stay."

"Sounds like a nice guy."

He smiled. "Yeah. Okay, back to the story..."

oOoOoOoO

_Two Years Later (Zoro age 12)_

_After living with his sensei and Kuina for the past two years, he could honestly say he had gotten a lot stronger. Training was tough, but he loved the fact of how strong he was becoming. And the old man had started home schooling him until he was caught up with the other kids his age. _

_He was able to beat all of his fellow students and even all of the adult students that were involved in the program. _

_Except Kuina._

_He hated the fact that he couldn't beat her...but he had come to respect her more than anyone else._

_Kuina had become the boy's obsession over the few years, no matter how strong he became, she was stronger still. Now, challenging her once again, he charged across the distance that separated them. Wooden swords clashing, he struck-_

_SMACK_

_He fell over with a red welt forming on his forehead._

_She pointed her sword at the fallen fighter. "That's 1000 losses, Zoro. Why don't you just give up?" she turned and stepped out of the room._

_Still lying on the floor, Zoro's body wrenched as sobs overtook him. He covered his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Damn it. Why_hic_...can't I..._ha_beat her?" he cried, not noticing the figure standing outside the door._

oOoOoOoO

"That must've sucked." he muttered, laying his head on his crossed arms.

Zoro face revealed more emotion than he had ever witnessed, his functionally green eye sad as he stared down at the beautiful sword, though a small smile was still on his face. The memories were obviously precious to him, even though they weren't the happiest. The man leaned back, and he could see a wave of exhaustion take hold of him.

"If you're tired, we can stop. It's okay." he suggested. He glanced over at the clock, seeing that it was now well past 8 o'clock. And even Zoro had had enough time to sober up, he had to be feeling sick by now.

Zoro rubbed his eyes. "I'm good." he stood up, walking over to the fridge. "Want anything to drink?"

He watched as the man reached into the fridge and pull out a glass bottle. He sighed. "Put the liquor back, Zoro. I don't want you get smashed in the middle of your monologue."

He thought he heard his teacher mutter 'asshole' as he turned and picked up two bottles of water, but decided to let it slide this time. Taking one of the offered bottles, he waited for the man to continue his story.

After taking a drink, Zoro continued.

"Okay, so after that fight, I guess I kind of lost my mind. I challenged her to another fight later that night...but with real swords. I figured maybe that the reason I was losing all the time because it wasn't challenging enough. We agreed to meet. I found a few swords and she brought Wado."

He was shocked that a twelve year was so willing to throw his life away over pride. "You're an idiot. And let me guess, you still lost."

"Yup, still lost." He frowned, glancing up at the ceiling. "Though...she didn't enjoy the victory. I think I was about to start crying again, but she beat me to it."

Anger bubbled up inside him. "What the hell did you do to make her cry?!"

Zoro glared darkened. "It wasn't my fault."

He flinched at the fury in his voice. _Okay...time to shut up..._

The other sighed, calming down, Zoro continued. "Apparently, earlier her farther said some shit about how she couldn't become the strongest swordsmen because she was a girl." he held up and hand to stop the complaint that was coming. "Yes, it's bullshit. I told her that and we both made a vow that one of us would become the greatest swordsmen in the world."

He leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed. "At least you have some sense. But I have a question. If this sword was so special...why'd she give it to you? Where's she at now?" As Zoro fell silent, a harsh realization came. "Tell me she..."

"She fell down a flight of stairs..."

oOoOoOoO

_It was raining on the day of her funeral. _

_Tears rolled down the boy's cheeks as he watched his rival, his...friend, being lowered into the ground._

It's not fair.

_Her fathers head was bowed, though Zoro could see the mans shoulders quivering._

What about her dream?

_As the final rights were said and everyone left to go home, only the two of them remained. The older turned and walked away, Zoro slowly followed him._

_The next day, he and his sensei sat in the training area. The boy's eyes rimmed red from crying all night, the elder's face pale with grief._

_"There's...I have a request, sensei..." Zoro started, staring up at the man in determination. "I want you to give me Kuina's sword."_

_The man was eerily calm. "Why would you want her blade."_

_Tears fell from the youths eyes. "We swore one of us would become the greatest. I want to become the greatest swordsman in the world! So great, that my name reaches the heavens!"_

oOoOoOoO

"My speech was probably longer than that..." He rubbed his eyes, and would have laughed at the watery eyes of his student...if his weren't too. "I must've struck a nerve because he started crying and agreed to let me have her sword. I continued to train there and mastered the three sword style and-"

"Wait! How in the hell do you use three swords?" Sanji had a look of disbelief as he focused his narrowed eyes on him.

He smirked. "Maybe I'll show you sometime. We'll that's pretty much the story behind the sword." Shocked to see such a sympathetic face befall his student, he felt his face get hot. "Didn't I say no pity stares?"

Sanji shock his head, a smile appearing on his face. "Not pity, let's just say I have a deeper respect for you." _I'm confused now. _"You're not just trying to make your dream come true, but also your friend's. That's pretty admirable."

He knew he had to be clashing with his hair by now. He covered his face with a hand and looked away. "Whatever."

"Wait, then why did you become a teacher? Shouldn't you still be training?" Sanji asked.

He gripped the handle of the sword and slide it back inside his sheath, gently placing it back within the case. "I mentioned the first day I started that I went to college at 15. So, in between the funeral 'till then, I always trained, going to tournaments and stuff. And during school I could go to different places through programs and challenge new people. After I graduated I traveled for the next few years."

"Are you the best now then?"

He groaned, throwing his head back. "No, there's still fucking Hawkeye." he rubbed the scar that ran over his chest. "He marked me both times I've challenged him."

...

"My vice principal was the one that tried to gut you?!" Sanji shouted, shooting to his feet with his hands planted on the table. "What the hell, man?"

"Got my eye to."

"How can you stand to work with the guy?"

He leaned on his elbow. "I'm not the happiest person about it, but at least this way I don't have to go searching for him. It's not that I hate the man...it's just weird working with the person that's standing in my way."

Sanji was about to ask him something when his phone began to ring, the blonde turned and dug his phone out. "This is the Crap Cafe, can I take your order?"

Zoro laughed.

"What?!" the boy's back tensed.

He frowned. _What the hell?_

"What happened to my house?! Old man, what the hell is going on?" After a few minutes of shouting, the boy finally hung up his phone.

He stood, walked over and gripped his students shoulder. "Oi, what's going on?"

He thought the boy was crying by the subtle shaking of his shoulders, but when he suddenly whipped around, spitting fire he had to step back or get hit with a flailing limb. "Some motherfucker set my fucking house on fire!", Sanji yelled as he ran out the front door.

_Oh shit._


	8. Homeless

A/N: Zero101~ WE NEED MORE LOVE!

**Chapter 8. Homeless**

There wasn't much left of his home.

It was a small place. There wasn't anything that stood out with it, wasn't fancy or anything. Just two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, etc. An average place all-in-all.

But it was his.

As he stood back, watching the firefighters finishing their inspections over the darkened piles of debris, a strange sense of emptiness overwhelmed him.

_Everything's...gone..._

When he arrived, seeing all of his neighbors gathered around and acting like this was some kind of event, he nearly yelled at them to mind their own damn business and go the hell home.

At first he hated that Zoro had donned on a jacket and followed him. But now, as he glanced around at the silent figure standing beside him, he was glad that he did. He didn't know if he could've handled the questioning alone.

Zeff hadn't been able to meet him due to work.

He sighed, placing a cigarette between his lips. "I guess I should've expected something like this would happen at some point." he glanced over at Zoro and almost smiled. The man had been glaring and barking at the interlopers that had gathered since he got here.

"No one should expect that." Zoro stated, scaring off another nosy neighbor. "Are you going to stay with Zeff until you're up on your feet?"

Exhaling the smoke in held in his lungs, he laughed. "Nah, the old geezer lives above his restaurant, so it's not really that big a' place. Besides, we'd kill each other before long. Maybe I'll just live in my car..."

oOoOoOoO

It was almost one in the morning by the time everyone left, leaving the two alone to pick around the burnt remains of Sanji's home. His heart reached out to his student. All the boys possessions gone; his furniture, his clothes, pictures of his friends and family.

_He was back at square one._

He watched as Sanji kicked at a fallen support beam. "This is bullshit. I'll kill the asshole who did this when I find out who it is."

He didn't know how to handle this sort of situation. He wasn't the man to go to for comforting words or touchy-feely shit. He'd rather go hunt down the bastard that did this and let the boy have at it.

Sanji's back was now ramrod straight, shoulders pulled back as he stared up at the sky, a line of smoke curling above him.

He could see the subtle quivering in the boy's form.

_Fuck it._

As quietly as he could, he walked over; because he knew if the blonde had heard him coming, the kid would've tried to brush off this moment as 'no big deal'. There weren't any dramatic hugs or 'everything's going to be okay' nonsense. He simply stood behind Sanji and wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder, his hand covering Sanji's eyes, hiding the world from him.

Sanji started to struggle, _no surprise_. "What the hell are you doing? Lay off." he just held on tighter, pulling Sanji back against his chest. "I mean it man, get off!" Sanji's voice held the slightest hitch.

_Poor kid._

He sighed, his thumb running gentle circles on his students temple. "Just shut the hell up and cry already."

oOoOoOoO

He was doing just fine as he continued to survey the destruction around him. There was literally nothing left. He was...glad that Zoro didn't try to coddle him saying pointless bullshit on how 'It's okay'. Zoro didn't seem like a hugger anyway.

_What the hell am I supposed to do now?_

Needless to say, he was shocked when the man had come up behind him and covered his eyes, pulling him close. Not so much as a hug, but as awkwardly lending him his support. He felt pathetic enough as it was, he didn't need the other's sympathy to add to it.

"I don't need to cry, shithead. Just get the hell off me." he muttered, tempted to burn Zoro's hand off with his cigarette.

"There's no one to impress. Stop trying to be an asshole and just let it out."

_Shit. I...can't..._

"You...jerk..."

Tears were running down his face, embarrassing sobs escaping his throat with every other breath. Zoro's chest against his back felt like a furnace against the cool air, the man's hand hiding the damage before him.

Other than the occasional swipe of his sleeve to dry his eyes, Zoro made no other move to touch him. Sanji made no move as to cling to the other man either, he didn't want to look like a _total _pansy in front of Zoro.

He blushed. _Though crying like a little bitch probably did that anyway._

He took a deep, watery breath as he finally stopped crying. He didn't say anything, didn't have to. Zoro slipped his hand from his eyes and wrapped it around his shoulder.

He rubbed at his now sore eyes. "I'm not thanking you if that's what you're waiting for."

"Not expecting one, now come on." Zoro stated while trying to pull him away from the scene.

"Where we going?" he asked, honestly not really caring. It's not like he had much of a choice in the matter...since he didn't have anywhere else to go.

"Back to my house. I'm tired, and I'm pretty sure you are too."

"You don't need to take care of me." he grumbled, but allowed Zoro to pull him to the man's bike. "Shit, why'd you bring this?"

Zoro grimaced, obviously now seeing the problem. "Was faster. You think you can handle it?" the man asked, holding up a helmet.

He sighed, reaching out for it. "Got no choice. I don't think I could drive back anyway as messed up as I am right now." He straddled the bike, wrapping his arms around the other man's waist, and closed his eyes as they sped off down the road.

_What the hell am I going to do?_

oOoOoOoO

He had to carry Sanji inside when they got home. He was shocked the boy had managed to fall asleep and _not _fall off. Shifting the blonde on his back, he kicked open the spare bedroom door that he kept for Chopper and gently laid him down on the bed. Untied his shoes. Loosened the tie. The works.

And left him alone.

Exhausted, he went to his own room and prepared for bed.

He had a phone call to make in the morning

oOoOoOoO

His phone wouldn't stop ringing.

He wanted to throw it through the nearest wall.

_It's probably my precious Nami swan...or Usopp...Luffy?...maybe the old geezer..._

He didn't want to speak with them right now. Didn't want to accept what happened the night before as reality.

Curled under the blanket, he didn't feel like getting out of bed to face the fact that he was homeless...again. Now he had to find a place to stay until his insurance company totaled up the damages, work more hours so he can replace all of his clothes and furniture...and try to put his life back together.

And not only that, but now he had to face Zoro who had tucked him in like a fucking child because he couldn't handle the stress. He buried his face deeper into the pillow. _Damn, this is utter bullshit. _He could hear his teacher roaming through the halls every so often, talking to someone on the phone.

He snorted. _Or to himself._

He heard a soft tap on the door. "Sanji? You awake.

He didn't want to answer, but Zoro deserved to know the he hadn't been bailed on. "Yeah."

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah." He sat up to lean against the headboard as his teacher stepped into the room, walked over and sat down at the end of the bed. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Hey, um...thanks...for letting me, uh...stay here. Yeah."

Zoro smiled. "It's okay. Listen…" He said turning serious. There was a slight pause before he continued speaking. "...I'm going to be gone for a little bit. I've...got some stuff to do. And Chopper's on his way so-"

"I don't _need _a damn babysitter!" he shouted, leaning forward on his hands to get right in the man's face. _How _dare _he try to treat me like a child!_

Zoro didn't seem impressed. "Uh, yeah. OK. For one thing, he's stays here on Sunday's most of the time so back the hell up, Dartbrow. And another thing..." the man eyes narrowed further as he pressed his forehead against his own, forcing him back with the pressure. "...I think you shouldn't be left alone right now."

Sanji growled, baring his teeth. "I'm fine."

Zoro leaned back and sighed, ignoring him. "Besides, he's good to talk to about shit like this. _Which _I want you to do."

He threw his arms up. "I don't _need _to talk about anything! I already let out all my frustration last night, remember? _You _were there for that humiliation." The other simple stared. He groaned, falling back against the pillows. "Fine, whatever. I don't care. Happy?"

"Ecstatic." Zoro said with a bored face before rising to his feet. The man turned and stared at him.

"What?" He didn't breathe, didn't blink as Zoro placed a hand on his head, gently running it through his blonde hair.

A dark look crossed over the mans face. "Everything's going to be taken care of, Sanji." he took his hand back and turned towards the door, stopping before exiting. Not looking over his shoulder, Zoro continued. "Just hang out until Chopper gets here, okay? I _don't _want him calling me freaking out. I'll see you later."

As the man left, Sanji just sat there, confused at the others behavior.

He blushed, glaring at the door. _Shitty bi-polar marimo._

oOoOoOoO

He hated asking his rival for favors. Zoro sat on the old mans porch, waiting for him to come back from whatever the guy was doing. _Couldn't be anything good, considering it's him. _He just knew that Mihawk was going to demand something outrageous in return, but he could handle it. His students peace of mind was worth it.

Sanji was worth a favor or two...maybe.

He had to admit it, the kid had grown on him. He hasn't been this calm in years. He snorted. _Well...maybe not calm_. Sanji drove him insane half the time.

It wasn't that he had anything in common with the blonde, just the fact that he was just as stubborn as himself. The few times he and Sanji actually physically fought, it was...great.

He leaned back and stared up at the clear sky. _Guess it's more fun 'cause I don't have to worry about dying_...He frowned, thinking of those bruising kicks. _Wait...he _could _kill me._

"Fucking brat's getting under my skin." he muttered, lying back on the porch, deciding to nap until Mihawk arrived.

...

Ugh!

_That asshole...fucking stomped on me!_

As he tried to rearrange his organs back in there proper place, the man before him simply sighed, obviously not caring that he may have ruptured something. "Would you stop all that whining? It's rather bothersome."

He coughed, rubbing his stomach in hopes of lessening the throbbing. "Yeah, how 'bout I stomp on you and see how bothersome it is then?"

Mihawk brushed him off with a wave of his hand. "You are overly exaggerating the situation."

"You're wearing cuban heels!" Mihawk ignored the comment and simply walked inside his home, leaving him cursing his existence until he begrudgingly followed behind. _Why'd it have to be a know-it-all prick I have to turn to?_

He didn't hate Mihawk; he didn't like him by any means, but he didn't feel any animosity towards him either. As odd as it is considering that the man about cut him in half and made him half-blind, he had to respect the strength Mihawk carried.

Glancing around the house, he was mildly surprised. Sunsets and flowers covered the walls, even though it conflicted with the black painted walls and blood red carpeting. And if that wasn't enough to freak him out…

...he could almost swear that the candles that littered the place lit up as Mihawk walked by.

_Okay, it's official...Mihawk's a fruity ass vampire and I'm screwed._

"You seem a little discouraged, Zoro." the man stated as he took a seat on the black leather couch that faced the entrance. _Obviously to freak people out when they come in..._

His eye twitched, pissed that he was caught. "Interesting taste. Gothic vampire style with a sun-shiny twist. Must be fun when people come over."

Mihawk smirked. "I get a few amusing comments, yes." the older man crossed his legs and cuffed his hands in his lap, seriousness taking over the calm facade he had. "Now, what is it that you wish to speak about. You mentioned on the phone that you may have a bead on the person who committed the crime of burning the boy's house down?"

Pulling out his phone, he searched for the pictures he had taken the night before. "I'm not sure if he did...but I got a weird feeling from the guy." he glanced up as he handed his phone over. "Seemed to enjoy the scene a little to much to just be a spectator. I was hoping that you might recognize him."

Mihawk blinked, bringing the phone closer to his face. "He does seem a little too...happy, considering someone's life just fell apart."

He tucked his hands into his pockets. "You know him?"

The man sighed, closing the phone and handing it back. "I'm not quite sure. I'll do some research and see what comes up. He may even be in our school files, considering he doesn't appear to be much older than Sanji."

"Thanks..."

Mihawk rose to his feet and stood inches from him, staring intently into his eye. "Now, about the payment for my services." Zoro's eye widened as the man placed a hand on his cheek, his thumb gently stroking the scar he cut into his skin.

The scar across his chest throbbed.

_Oh...shit..._He tensed as Mihawk brought his face closer, his body refusing to cooperate against the older man before him.

_He can't be..._

It happened so fast. He was just standing there, waiting for his rival to close the distance between them, until he felt something collide with the back of his knee. As he fell, Mihawk's hand struck his shoulder, finishing his descent to the floor on his back, and all he could do was stare up dumbly at his attacker.

Mihawk straightened his floral shirt and dismissively glanced down at him. "I believe more training is in order." he started towards the darkened hallway. "You will train with me every weekend until I find that you have improved enough to challenge me. Starting saturday."

Okay, he knew he wasn't up-to-par with the man, but it still irked him to hear it. He wasn't going to fight against Mihawk's decision though. "Is that what you want in exchange? What do you get out of it?"

"I believe this is beneficial for the both of us."

He wasn't going to argue with the man...though the idea of training with him didn't really sit well with him. He sighed. _Fuck it, maybe this way I'll figure out his weakness._

"Deal."

He just signed his soul over to a vampire wannabe...

He sighed, taking off his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose._ What the hell have I gotten myself into? Maybe I should've asked Ace..._

oOoOoOoO

There was no possible way of _not_ liking Chopper. The little guy was _too _cute.

The boy had arrived shortly after he had raided Zoro's room for clothes and taken a shower. He was shocked at the rainbow of colors that filled the man's closet, but decided to just leave it be. He settled for a pair of dark blue flannel sweatpants' and a white t-shirt. He even went as far as to steal a pair of Zoro's boxer's, which only _slightly _grossed him out.

Though he wasn't too happy that he couldn't quite fit into Zoro's clothes.

It had been a few hours now after Zoro left. They were sitting on the couch, watching TV and talking about the boy's college life and how's he's handling being around older students. Surprisingly, the little doctor was well put together for his young age.

He groaned, running a hand through his hair. _Is everyone turning into friggen geniuses? What's next? Luffy saying that he's got into Yale? _He laughed out loud, causing Chopper to stare at him confused.

_Like that'll ever happen._

"Sanji, can I ask you something?" Chopper asked, nervously shuffling his hands in his lap.

"Sure, man."

Chopper looked up, the brim of his bright pink tophat almost covering his eyes. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but-"

_Shit._

"I'm not going to ask if you're okay or not. I just want to make sure that you're not going to do anything reckless in the future."

_Okay, that wasn't what I was expecting._

But it made sense in a way. Chopper didn't want to find out that he had managed to get himself hurt in some wacked out revenge plan.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid." he smiled gently at Chopper. "Promise." the boy grinned, making him too. "Besides, I'd never hear the end of it from Zoro."

Chopper laughed. "Zoro can be a little overbearing, but he means well."

He groaned. "Tell me about it. He's brutish and bossy, he's lazy, he sleeps too much..." Chopper covered his mouth as a wave of the giggles took over. "And when he isn't asleep, all he does is work out." he glanced over at the doctor. "Is he overcompensating for something?"

"The only thing I'm overcompensating is my patience for you, shitcook."

He shrieked, and Chopper fell off the couch screaming. He thrashed around, his hands clawing into the back of the couch, glaring at the smirking man that stood there. "Make some damn noise, would you?!"

"It's my house." _Damn shitty marimo! _Zoro shrugged his shoulders and patted Chopper's hat. "Hey there, Chopper."

He didn't understand the awestruck look on the boy's face in regards to Zoro. Chopper practically worshipped the guy, which was odd to say the least. _There must be some weird story behind this relationship...cause it just doesn't make any sense._

"You two can talk. I'm going outside to smoke." he stated, rising to his feet while dragging his pack out of his pocket. Giving Zoro a curious glance, he asked. "So where the hell did you go?"

All he got in return was a shrug.

Standing outside he watched the smoke circle above him...

_Damn...school is probably going to suck ass tomorrow._


	9. Extra 1 Fallout

A/N: Zero101~ I decided that this would be a good time to take a break from the main couple and branch off to the other couple everyone loves, Ace and Smoker. This will happen from time to time so you'll have to deal with it. THEY NEED LOVE TOO!

This is going to start off just before Zoro starts working at the school, so there may be some recap, just in the other's point of view.

**Extra 1. Fallout**

oOoOoOoO

_(Two years ago)_

_He lost Luffy._

_It was just a normal day at the mall for the D. brothers. They had stopped at one of the restaurants, eating enough food to feed an army when he collapsed into his plate, having one of his usual narcolepsy fits. And when he woke up, his brother was gone._

_Normally a fifteen year old kid could manage by himself...but of course Luffy was special. Last time he let the kid out of his sight, he'd somehow ended up on the other side of town. Luffy's excuse; 'I wanted to go on an adventure.'_

_Needless to say, he kicked Luffy's ass all the way back home._

_He was beginning to think though that Luffy could somehow time when he was about to collapse, because that's what happened once again. Of course they both knew he hadn't had an episode in a few days, so he was due for one._

_He panicked, turning the corner between the sports store and the Build-a-Bears. He was almost tempted to see if the boy had hid himself there within the plush toys._

Where are you, you moron?

_"AAAAAAAACE!" he heard his brother's shrill voice from behind. He turned, and immediately paled._

Oh no...

_That brat had stolen one of the car's that parents used to push their kids around in and was flying full speed towards him...but there was another man he had to collide through first to get to him. Luffy just laughed manically as he continued to speed forward._

This is bad._ He ran towards the guy, hoping to move him out of the way before Luffy hit him. "Get out of the way!"_

_He didn't see the man's expression, because Luffy beat him and crashed into the guy's back; And since he was running towards the guy too (obviously freaking the guy out as well), he was just close enough so that when Luffy collided, the force of it sent the man into him as well. _

_"That was awesome!" Luffy laughed, sitting on top of the 'pile' he created._

_He heard the man curse as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. "Shit, sorry about that man." Finally he was able to look at the man's face above him._

_And it was love at first sight...sort of. If anything it was lust._

"Hey, Ace."

_Short-shaggy white hair, grey eyes..._

"Ace."

_He could feel the weight of the guy's muscular build pressing down on him._

"Ace."

"ACE!"

(Back to present, one week before Zoro started)

Forced out of his dream by his idiot brother, he buried deeper into his pillow. _I wanna go back! _Luffy glomped him through his comforter, probably hoping to smother him to death, and continued to yell his name.

He swung his arm out from the depth of plush, wrung it around Luffy's neck, and dragged the boy down next to him under the blanket. When he had him face to face, he moaned tiredly. "What, Luffy?"

Watching the boy blink in confusion, he knew nothing good was about to come out of the boy's mouth. "We're late for school."

"Huh?" Throwing off the covers, he glanced at the clock. It was already past 7:30, and he had to be there by 8. "Oh, shit! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!"

Luffy scratched his head. "I tried."

_Little brat._

...

"You're late again, Portgus." Smoker stated, glaring over his desk.

Flinching, he kept his grin in place as he stared at the man he had fallen in love with. It hadn't taken long to convince the man to go out with him, after the numerous times he had asked Smoker out. The guy even helped him get a job at the school after a few weeks of being friends.

Standing well over six feet with short wavy hair (even though he was only 34 it was white), dark grey eyes, and a tight muscular build, he looked amazing. Even the chain smoking didn't hinder his appeal, but add to it.

It hurt when Smoker broke off the relationship between them and accused Ace of cheating. Yes, he had a habit of innocently flirting with guys, but Smoker knew about that when they first started dating.

He had never cheated on Smoker though. It's a shame that the man refused to believe him.

"Yeah...I overslept." It was still awkward being in the same room.

Smoker sighed, finally looking away. "It's one thing if Luffy's late, he's a student. You, on the other hand, are a teacher and have more responsibility."

He was starting to get pissed now. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave. "I'll keep that in mind. I've got to get ready for my next class, so if that's all..." he let the sentence drift as he went to open the door. Smoker came up behind him and slammed it closed just as he cracked it. He glanced over his shoulder. "Was there anything else?"

"What the hell is your problem? You've been acting childish for a while now and it's starting to piss me off, Portgus."

He snapped. Being trapped by the man who dumped him and being accused of being childish did _not _sit well with him at all. "No. What the hell is _your _problem Smoker? You've been a lot more bitchy lately, and it's fucking stupid. And stop calling me by my fucking last name. I'd figured we'd gotten past that when I had you moaning for _me_."

He smirked as a dark blush spread across the older man's face, only growing wider as Smokers glare darkened into something else.

_Say your pissed off at me all you want, you still want me._

"Now if you excuse me, I'll be leaving now." just before going, he stated softly. "Just so you know...I..." He shock his head and closed the door behind him, leaving nothing but empty sorrows.

oOoOoOoO

_Damn it. _

He lit a cigar and leaned back against the door, sliding down until he sat on the floor. He still loved Ace, but he couldn't get over the infidelity.

It was his old marine friend, Tashigi, that had brought this to his attention. Stating that she had spotted Ace with a tall, blond man walking out of a local bar. He didn't think too much about it when it was first mentioned. He just thought that Ace was having fun with one of his buddies, until she said that they were hanging off each other and walked to the apartment complex next door.

And didn't come back out.

He knew that Ace flirted with everyone. That was just his personality and he had accepted it a long time ago. He smirked, thinking that he just had to make sure Ace knew who he belonged to.

He'd always been a slightly paranoid person. So when he found about the whole thing he immediately questioned the younger man about it. Ace said nothing happened and was shocked that he had doubted him. And after a lot of arguing and swearing, in an act of anger, he actually punched Ace and threw him out of his house.

Ace's face was what made him feel the most guilty. As the man stood back up, cupping his cheek while his lip bled, he simply stood there. There were no tears making their way down an angry face. No dramatic crying or sobbing, just that crushing acceptance that there was no more room for arguments.

Smoker curled his arms around his knees, burying his face in them, hating the weakness he felt.

_It hurts._

oOoOoOoO

(Zoro's first day)

_Lips trailed down his cheek to his neck. He laughed, swinging his arm around the mans neck above him. _

_"Come on, Smokey. We got work tomorrow."_

_Said man growled, continuing back up to his ear. "That never bothered you before."_

_Sighing in content, he ran a hand through his lovers grey locks, tangling his fingers in the strands. "Then don't bitch when you wake up grumpier than usual." lips met and-_

"Oi, kid. This is no place to sleep. Go back to class...or lunch. Whatever." he felt something tap his leg. _Damn it, not again. Just leave me alone! _"Come on kid. Put your clothes back on."

_Wait...that voice...nah, couldn't be._

He groaned, cracking open one of his eye to glare at the guy waking him. "What? Is it time for class?"

"I know you..."

_Huh?_ He looked up and was shocked to see a very familiar green haired man before him. He didn't even hesitate to jump from his spot to tackle the other man, bringing them both to the floor. "ZORO! It's been years!"

"That hurt! Get off, Ace!" he continued to smother Zoro with his love. "Stop hugging me! Get off! Don't make me cut you, damn it!"

He sat back to get a better look at his old friend, not leaving the guys lap and relishing in his cute blushing face. _Aww, so cute. _He frowned, appearing crestfallen. "What the hell, man? Who said you were allowed to grow up?" he whined, wrapping his arm around Zoros neck, patting his head affectionately. "I want my chibi back."

"Can you at least put your clothes back on? Sheesh, I'd think you'd grown out of the whole 'stripping' habit." Zoro muttered, running a hand over his face.

He gave the moss-head a naughty smirk. "You know you like it."

The blow to the face was expected, but he just laughed off the pain as he laid on the floor. "You're an asshole."

Grinning, he replied looking up. "Yes, I am."

"Why are you here, Ace?" Zoro asked, rising to his feet.

Standing up, he brushed off the dirt from his pants, giving the man a confused stare. "I teach gym here. So, chibi, what are _you _doing here?"

His friend had grown a lot in the last few years. He was still taller than the man, but he had filled out quite nicely. You'd never know that Zoro was the same lanky kid that roomed with him in college. Except for the scar on his eye, that was new.

His eyes saddened. _And he still carries that case wherever he goes._

Zoro glared, a blush making a reappearance on his face. "Don't call me that." Reaching down, he grabbed his case. "I got a job here teaching Literature."

...

He collapsed to the floor laughing, tears making their way down his cheeks.

"What the hell is so funny?

He pointed at Zoro, managing to gasp out a response. "Y-YOU!" He just couldn't believe that the serious little brat he befriended in college would become a teacher. _At a high school no less!_

"Why?"

He had to catch his breath before he could answer. "I just can't believe that you're a teacher. I thought you were going around the world to be a master swordsman."

Zoro shrugged, a little miffed at his outburst. "Been around the world and fought a lot of strong swordsmen...but not one was as powerful as Hawkeye."

"So...you followed Mihawk here and became a teacher?" he laughed again. "What kinda logic is that?"

The man shrugged, slightly blushing. "I've already fought everyone else worth mentioning. Figured I could just teach here until I feel I'm strong enough to beat 'em. At least here I don't have to go traveling across the globe to fight him."

"I guess that kinda makes sense...if you don't have that weird mocking feeling you used to get when you were around him before. You know? Like when he kicked your ass and you couldn't even be in the same room with him without twitching...like your doing now." he grinned. "You're turning into quite the little masochist, aren't you? That's hot."

As their conversation continued, he hadn't realized how much he had missed his best friend. Zoro couldn't have come at a better time.

oOoOoOoO

_(One year earlier-Smoker's POV)_

_He smiled at the man napping on his couch. Having gone through another narcoleptic spell, he'd be out for awhile. Lying on his side with his arm acting as a pillow, Ace appeared to be quite content._

_Sitting down on the floor by the couch, he began grading his students papers on the coffee table, the tv playing some old movie his lover was watching before collapsing to the floor._

_He twitched when an arm suddenly wrapped around his neck and teeth nipped at his ear. "Have a nice nap?" he asked, half glaring over his shoulder, meeting tired brown eyes and a lazy grin._

_"Good." the man laughed, dragging himself over to meet his lips. "I miss anything, dear?"_

_He snorted, shrugging out of the embrace. He decided to ignore the 'dear' comment alone. "You can go back to sleep if you want, I'm going to be up for awhile grading papers."_

_Ace groaned into his neck. "Shouldn't have signed up to be a Government teacher. Too many tests." the man wrapped his arm around his neck again. "You could always reassign yourself to teach gym with me. I bet we'd have _loads _of fun." he whispered._

_He smirked, turning around so he could clamp a hand around the back of Ace's neck, eyes darkening. "Don't think so...you'd have way too much fun with that idea."_

_"You would too."_

_He kissed his lover, lazily dragging his tongue over Ace's lips. "More than likely."_

(Present)

He woke up alone again.

He should be used to this by now, he should be used to not waking up and having Ace by his side snoring softly. Of not having the man's arm almost choking him in his sleep...

...or the random bouts of being woken up in the middle of the night because the other was horny.

He sighed, throwing his blanket to the side and grabbed his pack of cigars from the nightstand by his bed. _Guess that's it for sleeping._

oOoOoOoO

Nothing new happened during the week other than Zoro's lunch visits. The usual glaring contest between him and Smoker continued, followed by the pitiful feeling of loss and want that pissed him off to no end.

The visits were fun though. Hearing his friends accomplishments made him feel proud by how far he had come along in his dreams. Seeing the enthusiasm on the younger mans face somehow just made him smile, considering how serious Zoro was during his college years.

...

He left Zoro's feeling like shit.

He shouldn't have kissed the sleeping man. It wasn't right. He didn't want to try and replace the ache that Smoker left with him. It wasn't right to anybody.

The only reason he agreed to drink with the man this early in the day was that he'd tried to call Smoker and talk like normal adults. But the other never answered his calls. Or called back.

He smiled sadly to himself as he called a friend to come pick him up._ Maybe... it's for the best...it's not like me to be so hung up over someone for so long...maybe...it's time to...move on._

He almost convinced himself that it was true.


	10. Nami's Concerns

A/N: Zero101~ Sorry for the wait. The chapters from here on out might get slower due to multiple problems.

I need more ideas, open to opinions.

**Chapter 9. Nami's Concerns**

Waking up the next morning was...odd to say the least. He felt bad that he couldn't convince Chopper to take back his room, but the little doctor just waved him off and said he'd sleep with Zoro in his bed.

Which sounded weird in his mind. Doing what came naturally, he fixed breakfast and prepared to get ready for school, only just noticing the absence of his teacher.

Groaning, he made his way down to Zoro's room. _Some example he's setting, stupid marimo._

He didn't know how to feel when he pushed open the door and took in the scene before him. Zoro and Chopper were both still asleep, snoring. The older lying on his back while the doctor's head nestled on his shoulder, Zoro's face was buried in Chopper's shaggy brown hair with his arm wrapped around the boy's shoulder.

He wanted to scream at the man for clinging to a child in such a way, wanted to kick the mans ass until he apologized to the little doctor. He was forced to stop though when Chopper yawned and rose up, Zoro's arm fell from his shoulder with a soft thump.

Chopper rubbed his eyes and sleepily ganced over at him. "G'morning, Sanji." tired eyes scanned around the darkened room. "What time is it?"

Trying to remain calm, he answered. "'Bout 6:30. Zoro needs to wake up and get ready. And I got breakfast made." He had to ask. "Do you two...normally sleep like that?"

Chopper yawned again, stretching his arms above his head. "When I have nightmares I usually sleep in here." The boy suddenly grinned. "Zoro doesn't know it, but he cuddles in his sleep."

He immediately felt embrassed and ashamed for thinking that someone like Zoro would actually do anything bad to a child. _Now I need to apologize._

He watched as Chopper shook Zoro. "It may take a few minutes for Zoro to be coherent enough to get up."

"Why's that?"

Chopper glanced over, hand still on the mans shoulder. "He said he hasn't slept since your house burnt down. My guess it's been so heavily on his mind that he hasn't been able to. Come on, Zoro. You're going to be late for work."

_Shit...now I really have to apologize._

Zoro shot up, eyes wide in panic. Chopper gripped his shoulder. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Zoro?"

"What time is it?"

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Time for breakfast, idiot swordsman."

Zoro blinked before a sworl crossed over his face. "What'd you call me?"

"You make it so easy. Now get the hell up and eat. I got to finish getting ready for school...and _you _need a shower."

oOoOoOoO

"I forgot to mention it earlier, but you're excused from school today." he said, taking his seat at the table next to Chopper after getting ready in record time.

Sanji almost dropped his mug. "What're ya-"

"I've already talked it over with Shanks and Mihawk, and both are fine with you staying here for a few days." he stated, slowly enjoying Sanji's well made breakfast while Chopper reached over for more juice. He groaned at the glare he received from the irate blond. "It's probably for the best."

_Three...Two...One..._

Sanji gritted his teeth, repying. "I told you I don't need to be coddled. I can handle going to fucking school. My friends need to know I'm okay!"

He sighed, putting his fork down. "You've got an opportunity to stay home and you're actually _arguing _to go to school? What the hell happened to kids these days? Most would love to have someone, a _teacher _no less, tell them to stay out of school." He threw his eyes over to Chopper. "Wouldn't you like a day off every once 'n a while?"

Okay, bringing the little doctor into the conversation didn't really help the argument, he noted when Chopper shuffled awkwardly in his seat.

Sanji stood up, gathering his bag. "I am _not _hiding in your house, marimo."

He snorted. _Well...he's gonna be pissed then..._

Standing up and gathering his bag also, he gave a sidelong glance at Chopper, who nodded his head. He shrugged his shoulders, making his way to the door. "Well, suit yourself. Come on, Chopper, I'll drop you off real quick." Chopper grabbed his things and rushed out the door first. He gave Sanji one last look before making his way too. "Since you're all about leaving, there's something I need to warn you about..."

Sanji, who was looking for something, gave him a weird look. "What's that?"

"You won't be going anywhere without your keys. Seeyoulater!" he added quickly as he ran out the door and to his car. He could just barely make out Sanji's profile in his rearview mirror, throwing what appeared to be one of his kitchen chairs at him. "Shit."

Chopper glanced over, shaking in fear. "I don't think he liked that."

"Oh well."

_That went well..._

He sighed.

_He's gonna be a little bitch when I come home._

oOoOoOoO

"You mother fucking asshole!" he shouted at the retreating truck, not caring that he had just broken one of his teachers chairs, adding more to his debt. "How dare you leave me here!" he stomped back inside the house.

_He is so going to pay for this!_

oOoOoO

"Where's Sanji?!"

"Is Sanji okay?!"

"Did Sanji's house really burn down?"

"Is Sanji dead?!"

He was getting a headache with all the chatter that filled his class, almost regretting not allowing Sanji to come and defuse the drama.

He slammed a textbook down. "Everyone take your seats!" When all he recieved was a few disgruntled stares, he opened his book to the page they were working on. "Sanji Black is just fine, and will more than likely be here tomorrow."

He didn't say anything about Sanji staying at his place, since he techinally wasn't supposed to. It was against school regulation. Well, normal regulations anyway. And that it would bring even more attention that neither of them needed or wanted.

Sighing, he turned to his class. "Sanji will be back tomorrow and it would probably be in his best interest if everyone didn't bother him too much on the subject. He doesn't need anymore stress than he is already under." The door to his room burst open, and the redhead girl that was a part of the blondes group stomped in. He blinked in confusion as she stomped up to him. "Uh...can I help y-"

"Where the hell is Sanji?!" Nami demanded, getting right up in his face with her finger jammed against his chest. "I know what's going on with the bike repairs payment, so that means he's more than likely with you." she added in a low whisper, trying not to let the rest of the class hear.

_Weird that he has female friends that truly care about him..._

"Let's take this out in the hall." he suggested calmly, walking towars the door. Nami followed quickly after him and he shut the door. "Since you know about our arrangement...Sanji's at my place." he scratched the back of his head, getting flustered. "He's probably going to stay there until everything gets settled out."

Nami crossed her arms and gave him a suspicious glare. "That's awfully kind of you, considering you two hate each others guts.

_It sounded worse when you put it that way..._

He was quiet for a moment, picking his words very carefully. "I've learned enough about him to know that he's a pain in the ass teenager who irritates the hell out of me...but who 's lost everything and needs a place to stay. I'm not a heartless person, if that's what he's told you. I wouldn't wish anything like this on anyone."

At that, she appeared to soften up, and gave a small laugh. "Nothing like that. Just that you're lazy and a horder."

He smiled. "You and the rest of your group are welcome to visit whenever you wish. If you want to take the rest of today off and see him at my home...here, give me your hand."

Putting his glasses on, he pulled out a pen, took her hand and started writing down his address. She made a strange shrieking sound. "What're you doing?"

Giving her a bored stare, he said. "It's my address." he stood back up to his full height. "I'd actually really apprieciate it if you all were to go see him today." he chuckled. "He's pretty pissed off at me and I'm hoping this'll kinda even it out."

oOoOoO

"Wow, Zoro's gotta nice place." Usopp muttered, walking into the living room. Nami was inspecting the pictures on the walls in the halls, while Luffy was running in and out of rooms, yelling about how awesome the place is.

"I'm sorry about not being too presentable." Sanji said, still wearing Zoro's sweats and shirt. He turned towards Nami. "And might I say you look lovely!"

Luffy stuck his head around the corner. "This place is awesome!" then ran off again.

Hearts appeared in his eyes as he gazed upon Nami, who had taken a seat on the couch. "Oh, Nami. Were you so concerned for me to actually come visit me at our behemoth teachers home? Oh, how I love~ you!" he spun around and attempted to hug the redhead, only to be stopped by her boot in his face.

Crossing her arms, Nami gave him a once-over. She smiled. "At least now I know you're okay. Zoro really wouldn't tell us much about what happened."

He snorted, standing back up. "I thought he'd be saying that I was a mess over the whole thing." _Seems like something that the smug bastard would do._

Nami watched as Usopp went to explore the house with Luffy before speaking again. "Are you okay? I mean, you've lost pretty much everything."

He grinned, twirling on the spot. _She's worried about me! _"Your concern fills me with such joy, Nami-swan!" he took a seat next to her, still grinning. "Of course I'm fine, my dear. There's no need to worry about."

She continued. "Is Zoro treating you okay? It's kinda weird that he's just letting you stay here."

He frowned, leaning back in his seat. "He's...okay, I guess." he crossed his legs, his finger tapping his knee in thought. "I think it's kinda weird too." he glared, remembering how the man had left him here. "I'm pissed he left me stranded here today...but I guess I can see where he was going."

Nami groaned,and threw her head back. "It was _crazy_. I felt kinda bad for Zoro, he looked miserable that he wasn't able to teach anything. Having to hear all the exaggrations on how you might be dead or that someone has a hit on you."

"I heard my old man mention something about a string of fires breaking out...I guess I never imagined it to happen to my house."

The two remained quiet for a while, their friends running from room to room filling the silence. Nami finally broke it, leaning over towards him. "You going to be okay-"

He cut her off, chuckling to himself. "There's nothing to worry about, my dear."

"-I mean about staying here?"

...

He hadn't really thought about that, though he hadn't planned on staying at his teachers house for long. "I think it'll be okay for a few days. I probably won't be here for too long. I'm pretty confident I can find a new place to stay soon."

"It might actually be better for you to stay here as long as you can." At his disgusted stare, she continued. "You can save your money and build your life back up. And, in light of things, I'm pretty sure Zoro will call off the debt of his bike now."

He grinned. "You think so?"

She smirked. "Only 'cause your services will now be switched over to rent."

"Shit"

oOoOoO

"Did you find out anything?" he asked as he sat down in Mihawk's house, gently setting his case by his feet.

"It's always a pleasure to see your smiling face. Or is the lack of expression simply for me?" The man stated, leaning back in his seat with his feet on the desk.

_Like you have any room to talk_.

"Tell me, how did Sanji react to you leaving him at your home. I'm almost certain that it was an...interesting experience."

He groaned, crossed his arms on the older mans table and laid his head down. "He broke one of my chairs..."

"That is to be expected, I suppose. Now...about my research." he glanced up as the man spoke. Mihawk turned his laptop around, showing him a picture of a young man who attended school there a couple years ago. "I believe this is the young man you were looking for."

A dark smile appeared on his face as he took in the boys, remembering the twisted glee the guy had as he watched Sanji's house burn to the ground.

Mihawk smirked. "Now you just need proof."

He stood up. "You got an address for me?"

"You're not going there today, are you? With the way you're grinning, I'd be afraid of giving you the location for the fact he may turn up...missing."

He shook his head. "Not today. I have to work out a few things. Make some plans..."

Mihawk chuckled, giving him the address. "Don't get caught while you're disposing of the body."

"I'm not going to kill the guy."

"Hmm..." the man turned in his chair, giving him his back.

Zoro turned to leave. As he shut the door behind him, he could've sworn he heard Mihawk mutter 'pity'.

_I feel like I narrowly escaped becoming an asset to murder...creepy-ass fuck. _

He sighed.

_And I have to train with him._

oOoOoO

It's been about two weeks since he began to live with his teacher, and surprisingly, it hadn't been nearly as bad as he thought it would've been. He'd managed to convince Zeff to allow him to work during the week; and have the weekends off if it wasn't too busy (as long as his grades stayed up), and Zoro didn't seem to mind that he had pretty much taken a lot of his time.

He still hadn't gotten used to Zoro's kindness yet. When he had nearly wiped out his checking account to purchase a new wardrobe, the man had actually paid out of his own pocket to make sure he had enough clothes and supplies. Zoro had officially moved him into the spare room that Chopper used on Sundays, helped him decorate, etc.

He even managed to get the man to spar with him everyday after work to stay in shape (he was pleased that Zoro was impressed with his talent in Capoeira), though he wasn't allowed to watch Zoro train when he was over at Hawkeye's place. Something about it being 'sacred' or 'private' or something. He smirked. _He just didn't want to be seen when he got his ass kicked._

He was happy that the scene with his place going up in flames had died down and everything was back to normal...except for one thing.

He hadn't gotten laid in weeks...which was a _long _time for him. On this fateful Saturday, he was contemplating on bringing over one of his _girlfriends _for a little fun while Zoro was out training.

Waking up early so he could cook breakfast, he wondered how he was going to ask his teacher if he could do this. _Hey, marimo! While you're out playing, is it okay for me to bring over a beautiful lady for a quick fuck? _He had a feeling that that wouldn't work.

He didn't want to piss off the man that opened his home to him.

"Morning." The man in question yawned as he took a seat at the table. Zoro had finally stopped glaring at the empty spot on the floor where one of his chairs had sat. He rubbed absently at the scar over his eye and glanced over at the clock. "Why're you up so early?"

"I'm used to waking up this early to go to work." He chuckled, setting a plate of eggs and bacon before Zoro, earning a muttered 'thanks' in return. "It's habit. I'll probably get over it before long."

How to ask...

He watched as the man took a bite. "Hey, Zoro..."

Zoro looked up, fork halfway to his lips. His eyes completely focused on him. "Hmm?"

His eye twitched. _Fuck, don't look at me_. "I was wondering..."_ this is the man who's let you into his home_. He was really wanting to kill his inner voice as it continued to try to make him feel guilty.

Zoro put his fork down, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "Is everything okay?"

After a few seconds..._Fuck it, I'm getting laid_. "Is it cool for me to invite some friends over?"

...

The man blinked, before giving him a deadpanned look. _Busted, I knew that wouldn't work! He knows the people I hang out with. What if he asks who? I can't lie worth shit! Fuck, he's still looking at me funny_. He bailed out."I mean...it's okay if you don't..."

"I don't care if you invite anyone over, I said that this is just as much your home as it is mine until you find a place." Zoro stated calmly. "I don't want you to feel like you can't do anything while you're here."

_He doesn't suspect nothing?_ He blinked. _I'm in the clear?_

He was still sitting at the table when Zoro left to go prepare himself for his session with Hawkeye. Zoro looked over his shoulder at him as he grabbed his swordcase and two extra blades (which he still hadn't gotten to watch how the man used them) and tucked them under his arm. "Don't break anything, k?"

He snorted. "Whatever, shithead.", and watched as his teacher left. As soon as Zoro pulled out of the driveway, he pulled out his phone. And stared at the number of the girl who was always willing for a little fun.

_Am I really going to do this?_

...

He dialed. "Hey, Mika. You busy?"


	11. The Talk

A/N: Sasuke14u~ Hey everyone here's the newest installment of ASL! Hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter 10. The Talk **

The sex ended in disaster.

It wasn't that Zoro had walked in on them...

No, instead they found said man sitting on the couch as they walked out of his bedroom. Smelling like sex and sweat with their disheveled clothes.

Zoro didn't even look at them when he said, "My appointment got cancelled."

Mika was quick to leave, barely muttering a quick, 'I'm sorry, bye.', but Zoro noticed the embarrassed tears making their way down her cheeks.

"See you on Monday, Mika," the man called before she made it out the door, earning a horrified moan. After the door closed, he added without looking at Sanji. "Chopper was coming over…But he said saw you _getting busy _on your way inside the house with some girl." Zoro shrugged. "Well, he used a more technical term then that. Didn't think it would be Mika though...she seemed too nice to be with you."

The statement was followed by a long, awkward silence.

His teacher continued to ignore him while he wished the floor would swallow him right there. He looked down. "Well? Am I in trouble?"

Zoro stood, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. He sighed. "You're not..." Grabbing his case, he picked his phone up from the table and started towards him. "Listen, don't worry about dinner. I'll probably be a little late in getting home."

Sanji panicked, following his teacher to his bedroom. "You're not pissed? I know what I did was a real shitty thing to do, and I feel bad abo-"

The mans working eye zeroed in on him. "You only feel bad because you got caught. I know how all this works." He flipped open his phone to check the time after finding his wallet. "I got to get going. I'll see you later."

"Wait! Should we..."

_What the hell do I do?! I never felt bad about being caught! This isn't right. _

He decided to see if he could laugh this whole thing off. "I bet you've had something like this happen...I mean, come on." Zoro didn't say anything as he started towards the door. "Zoro, don't be mad. It's was just sex."

_Oh shit, that sounded bad._

The man stopped with his hand on the doorknob and shook his head. "You're not as mature as I thought...if you really believe that."

oOoOoOoO

_I think I may have overreacted. He's just a hormonal teenager after all_.

He narrowly dodged a blow to his shoulder with a wooden sword. Stepping back, he retaliated and thrust his own forward. Mihawk sprung away gracefully and parried.

But...it hurt, walking back into his own home to hear the moans and shouts of the student he had come to respect. Even though he had said that his home was as much as Sanji's, he didn't take into account that the boy would bring his fucks there.

He glared, blocking the sword aimed at his shoulder.

_And to act so nonchalant about it..._

"Pay attention!" Thwak! Mihawk connected hard with his head. Stars streaked across his vision as he dropped his sword and clutched the bump that was forming. The elder of the two tapped his sword against his shoulder, glaring down at him. "You are obviously too distracted with that boy."

"..." He couldn't deny it. As he was about to speak, the dark-haired mans boot connected with his leg, knocking him down to his knees. Pain exploded as the tip of Mihawk's wooden sword stabbed into one of his thighs. "Shit!"

"You even left early during training after only being here an hour." The man paused. "Needless to say, I am highly disappointed in your actions as of late."

He growled, glaring up at Mihawk. "I thought it was a good reason to leave."

Mihawk shook his head and sighed, relieving his sword. "The boy was having sex. It's normal for kids his age to partake in such activities." The man knelt down to his level, looking straight into his eyes. "Just because you didn't have a normal high school experience, doesn't give you the right to judge Sanji for living his."

"...I wasn't judging him. He can have sex as much as he likes...I just didn't expect him to bring his dates home."

Mihawk chuckled. "Where else was he going to take his females? He is more-or-less the only person in school who isn't living with some sort of family. Face it, Zoro. To him, you're just a man who was kind enough to lend him a place to stay." He became serious again. "This brings up a few questions, though. Lets take this conversation elsewhere. I don't think the floor will be a good place to speak about my...concerns."

_What concerns could he have?_

He pushed himself up and followed the man into his kitchen. When he had first seen his kitchen, he was almost afraid to stay in there too long. Everything was..._immaculate_. Everything was blindingly clean and stainless steel, nothing out of place, neatly arranged. He should've guessed with the mans OCD-ness with his sword, that Mihawk would treat all his other possessions in the same overdramatic way.

Taking a seat, he watched as Mihawk grabbed a bottle of wine and one glass. He snorted, thinking that the man _obviously _didn't want him too inebriated to drive home.

Mihawk poured himself a glass and began speaking in a level tone. "I am going to be quite frank. What are your feelings toward Mr. Sanji Black?"

He blinked, sitting silently before Mihawk with a deadpanned stare. _He couldn't be..._"I'm not sure I understand what you're asking."

Mihawk took a sip of his wine, set down his glass, and cuffed his hands in front of him. "I believe you do. And lying won't work with me. I've known you long enough now to know you don't have the competence to do so successfully."

_I can lie just fine, prick_.

"You've allowed Sanji to live with you, and you've taken the boy's home burning down _very _personally. Which is odd considering it's you."

...

"Now I'll ask you again, and I want you to think very hard about this. What do you feel towards Sanji?"

His immediate response was to deny having any feelings for the boy other than annoyance and a little bit of respect. But for some reason...he couldn't do it. So, he began to think of the time the two had spent together to see what he could get out of the memories. He cared for the boy, yes, but as an adult wanting to help a kid out-

_Wait, Sanji's eighteen now._

-he thought about how he and Sanji argued, the spouts of shouting, merely trying one-up each other. He thought of how comfortable he had gotten to the boy's presence in his home, and how nice it was to have food that wasn't in a greasy bag. How happy he was that Sanji seemed to get along with Chopper-

He frowned. _Chopper did mention that I seemed...happier..._

The oldest memory flashed of the night when he and Sanji managed to clean his cluttered room. Of how hard he tried to not wake the boy up when he had fallen asleep leaning against the bed. How he had gently tucked him in, continued to sort through his stuff before falling asleep at the end of the bed himself.

_Do I...like Sanji?_

"NO!" He shouted, looking horrified as the words seeped in and how he almost believed them. He slammed his head into the table, covering it with his arms. His face was on fire!

"That's a little more...dramatic than I expected out of you. But shockingly, I don't believe you." Mihawk stated boredly.

"I don't like Sanji! He's my student."

"You must be feeling guilty about not telling the boy that your bike was repaired two days _before_ the accident. Maybe the whole incident could have been avoided." The man sighed after seeing the hurt look on his face, leaning against his elbow on the table, his chin resting against his knuckle. "No matter. You won't have to worry about him being a student anyways, a few more months and he'll graduate."

He sighed sadly. "Wouldn't matter anyway if I did like him or not. _Which I don't_." He added, sending a glare over. He sighed again. "Sanji's straight. In case catching him fucking some _girl _in my house wasn't enough of a clue."

Mihawk merely shrugged his shoulders and stood up. "Let's get back to training."

At least he could lie to himself. He just had to convince himself that the pain in his chest was from the hit Mihawk had dealt him earlier.

oOoOoOoO

Mihawk's POV

He stared as his apprentice stood up dejectedly, probably trying to convince himself that his feelings for the blonde weren't there. And failing at it.

He knew that teacher/student relationships were frowned upon, and it was against school policies. But he cared about Zoro in a weird, fatherly way(as Shanks put it), and he didn't like the conflict the young man was going through.

He figured as long as Zoro either kept quiet about the possible future relationship or waited for the boy to graduate, then there wasn't really any point in worrying about it. Zoro was still young, so it could work out.

He sighed. _Zoro's hopeless._

Zoro looked up. "I may need to leave early today..."

He glared. "And why is that?"

A dark look crossed over the man's face as a small smile appeared. "I got to pay someone a visit."

He smirked, knowing what the man was talking about. "May I join you?"

oOoOoOoO

"You're an idiot, Sanji." Nami stated over the phone. He sighed, thinking that he probably shouldn't have called her. He glanced over at the clock again, watching as it flashed half past eight. "I don't blame him for being angry with you. You bringing a girl to his house was pretty insensitive of you."

"I know that Nami-swan." He brought his legs up on the couch, crossing them as he readjusted his phone at his ear. "I get that...but he seemed more pissed off when I told him it was just sex."

He heard his friend growl over the phone. "Damn it, Sanji. I thought you respected women or somethi-"

"I do respect women! I cherish them like the beautiful gems that they are!" He swooned, waving his hand enthusiastically over his head.

"But you can just carelessly fuck someone and just call it sex? What if Mika actually likes you? Are you going to say that you were only with her because it was fun and convenient for you? You're _using _her."

He flinched. _Okay, it sounded really bad when said like that...no wonder Zoro's mad...he must've thought the same thing._ "I'm not using her! I like Mika. I'm not with her only because it's convenient."

"What if Mika asked to be your girlfriend? Would you date her? Or say that the sex was great, but you're not interested in a commitment?"

He cried. "Nami-swan! I called hoping you'd give me advice to make up with Zoro."

"That's another thing, why are you so concerned about what Zoro thinks anyway?"

"Because I live with the guy! And what if he starts being a bigger ass to me at school? What if he starts plotting against me again?!"

"...Have you lost your mind? You sound like you did on your first day, which is kinda pathetic. The man isn't going to do anything to you, _and _he's never plotted against you. He's probably...just disappointed is all."

His eye twitched, ignoring the guilty feeling that spread over him. "Zoro doesn't have the capacity to be disappointed."

_But still...I got to make it up to Zoro._ He sighed. _And maybe call off things with Mika._

oOoOoOoO

The two used the rest of their time to plan out how they were going to confront the arson, and decide whether or not to just kill the man responsible(Mihawk's choice, of course). But he managed to convince the older man to take him to the police. Though he might throw a few strikes here and there to make him feel better.

He knew Sanji would've preferred to kick the guys ass, but he didn't want to take the chance of the boy getting hurt.

Mihawk strapped his broadsword to his back. "We ready to leave, Zoro?"

Pausing in his text, he glanced over. "Yeah, I just need to finish this."

Mihawk smirked. "I'm surprised you've learned how."

He blushed, not admitting that he'd only recently learned how from Sanji, withstanding a lot of ridicule over it. Ignoring the other, he finished his message to Ace.

_Would you go check on Sanji? I'll won't be able to make it home tonight._

It didn't take long for Ace to reply back. _Do I need to ask why?_

He decided against telling the man of his reasons. _Not really._

_Sure thing. You care if I raid the liquor cabinet? ;)_

He snorted. _Whatever works. Just make sure Sanji hasn't destroyed the place._

_Got it :)_

"Doesn't Ace ever have plans?" Mihawk asked.

_I owe you one_.

He shrugged, closing his phone and tucking it in his pocket. "I'm just glad he okay with checking up on Sanji." He ignored the pointed stare the other was giving him. "Let's go."

"We will be taking my car. I refuse to ride with you in that monstrosity you call a vehicle."

"Nothing's wrong with my truck."

"It's an accident waiting to happen."

They ended up in Mihawk's black Porsche, much to his dismay.

oOoOoOoO

Ace POV (Zoro's house) After Ten

"So, Zoro's not coming home tonight..."

"He said he's got some stuff to take care of. No worries."

"Are you allowed to drink that?" Sanji questioned, looking skeptically at him as he pulled out a bottle. "Are all you teachers drinkers?"

He grinned, popping the top off and pouring himself a glass. He sat comfortably on his friends couch, flipping through the channels on the TV. "It's all good."

"Why are you here anyway? You seem to be coming over a lot more lately." Sanji scowled. "Did Zoro put you up to this? I don't need a babysitter."

"Thought I'd hang out with Zoro-chan." He sighed, feigning sadness. "Now it looks like I'll have to drink alone. Oh well, you'll keep me company, right? I would've hung out with my bro, but the brat's staying with Usopp."

"You must be bored without the monkey."

He laughed, taking a drink. "It's always exciting with Luffy."

The blonde took a seat in the chair, crossing his legs. "It's still weird that you and Zoro are friends."

He nodded, giving a soft smile. "We've been friends for years."

Sanji looked honestly interested. "He said you two were roommates back in college. How'd it feel having someone that much younger than you as a roomie?"

"You're making me sound old." He laughed, he reached over the table for the bottle. "He was so serious when he started. It was actually pretty admirable. To me, though, it was pretty cute."

The blonde laughed. "I can't see the marimo as cute...I bet he was a really scary looking kid. You got anything you could tell me about him?"

"You mean 'Do I have any embarrassing stories about Zoro?'" He grinned.

Sanji shrugged. "Pretty much."

He shook his head. "Sorry, no can do. I don't want Zoro pissed off at me." He noticed the blonde flinch, but chose to ignore it. He was starting to feel a buzz coming on. "He's pretty scary when he's mad, but is usually quick to forgive. So, whatever you did I'm sure he'll get over it before long."

The two were quiet for a long while, simply enjoying the silence, when Sanji finally broke it. "I have a odd question..."

"Hmm? What's that?"

The boy didn't even blush when he asked. "Does Zoro have something against sex?"

In shock, Ace choked on his drink. He stared wide eyed at the other. "What the hell brought that on? Are you after Zoro now?"

Sanji did blush at that. "I'm not gay!" He sighed. "It's just that...I did something stupid and it really pissed him off."

"What'd you do, bring a girl here and sleep with her?" His jaw almost fell off when Sanji nodded. "Man, you did fuck up." He shook his head after he calmed down. "Guess I can't say anything against you. I was a pretty busy guy myself in high school. Though I didn't live with my teacher back then."

"I'm not surprised."

"I'll pretend that's a compliment. Well, Zoro doesn't really like people that simply sleep around. And I hear you've got a decent track record going on." He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Took forever to get him to see past that in school when we lived together. He hated my guts."

"I...can't say nothing."

He leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. "He's just a little old fashioned I guess. He thinks relationships have to have meaning for things to escalate before getting physical." Memories found their way through his consciousness. "It was actually pretty funny that he felt that way. Being so young and cute, he was a big hit with the ladies at college."

"I still can't see that lazy asshole being cute."

"You just had to be there."

The two continued to talk until Sanji called it a night and went to his room for bed, leaving Ace alone and drunk on the couch with only his thoughts.

Ace giggled. _All he did was talk about Zoro. How cute. _He rose his glass in salute, almost falling off the couch in the process. _Here's to you, Zo-chan. Hopefully everything works out with you two._

It was one of the few nights he managed to fall asleep without Smoker burdening his mind.

oOoOoOoO

A/N: Sasuke14u~ Alright, well there you go folks! Geez, there sure were a lot of shrugging and sighing in this chapter. (*shrugs -_-) No, seriously. (*sighs)

Well anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter. As always feel free to write us a review or whatnot if you want.

See you next time!


	12. Confrontation

(A/N: What up, this is Zero101. This is probably going to be one of the very few appearances I make in a chapter. I've decided to start posting a new story and will probably start in the next week or two. Just got to get a little more into it. The chapters will be bigger, but the story will run a little slower than ASL due to it being my main story. Hopefully you all like it, cause it's not going to be another One Piece. Maybe next time. Talk to ya soon.)

**Chapter 11. Confrontation**

Sitting in the passenger seat with Wado on his lap, he glanced over at Mihawk. The two had been silent since entering the car and it was starting to naw at his patience, though his confusion at how the man had fit his giant claymore into the backseat still remained.

"I wanted to handle this on my own." He grumbled, glaring out the front windshield, his hand absently running along Wado's sheath. When Mihawk ignored him, he continued. "It's odd that you even want to be involved." The man continued to remain silent. He was about to start complaining again when Mihawk finally decided to speak.

"If you continue to whine and complain like a jilted child, I will not hesitate in pulling this car over and throwing you out." The glare that Mihawk sported stopped him from retorting back.

_He's serious._

The man sighed as he faced forward again. "What's your plan if Fullbody isn't home?"

"I called up some buddies of mine to keep an eye on the place. He's home." Johnny and Yosaku had phoned him just before he and Mihawk had finished the sparing session to say the asshole was home and didn't seem to be going anywhere.

"Do any of your friends have a life outside of your own? Or are they just _so _willing to be at your beck-an-call?" The man asked in that weird monotone as he slowed to a stop at a light.

He snorted leaning back in the seat, waiting for the light to change. "Nah, they just owe me a lifetime of servitude as many times I had to bail them out of trouble or jail." He had to smile though, thinking of the two morons. "They traveled around with me for awhile, they're interesting."

"Then I would probably not enjoy their company."

"Probably not, they're loud as fuck when they start ranting." He glanced up. "This is it."

oOoOoOoO

(During Zoro and Mihawks drive - After midnight)

_Man, he's fucking out of it..._

Peering down at Ace, heavy liquor stank through every one of his pores. Sanji almost gagged at the smell. The guy had at some point half fallen off the couch, his legs still managing to stay on it with his upper half spread out on the floor. "Man, Ace. Wake the fuck up and take a shower." He kicked the mans side, only getting a slight twitch before Ace tried to turn, bringing his legs down with a loud thud.

Ace continued to sleep on, a dopey smile on his face.

His eye twitched. _No wonder Luffy's as bad as he is._ He turned to get something to smash the guy's face in.

_"...ooh, fuuck...haah."_

He thrashed around and glared incrediously at Ace, who had the nerve to start thrusting his hips with a darker grin on his freckled face. _Ugh, he's probably dreaming about Smoker..._Everyone knew about their relationship because the brunette wasn't afraid of showing his affection in public, much to the other's obvious displeasure.

"Oh, hell no. Wake the fuck up!" He growled, kicking Ace's side hard enough to lift the man off the ground. Ace groaned, curling into a ball of pure agony.

Ace cringed, sitting up with his arms curled around his side. "Fuck man, what the hell was that for?"

He crossed his arms. "Go fuck Smoker in your own home!"

The man glared. "I could say the same thing for you and your lil' girlfriends...but you don't _have _a home."

"..."

"..."

"That was low."

Ace groaned, lying back on the floor. "You're right. My bad, man."

He sighed. "It's fine."

oOoOoOoO

"Are those your...friends?"

"..."

"They're standing in front of the mans' house."

"..."

"And seem to be glaring at it."

He sighed, leaning his head back against the seat. _Those idiots!_

"Are they stupid?"

"Apparently, more so than I thought." His friends were indeed standing in front of the arsonist's house, arms crossed and glaring up at the house. In all seriousness, he was shocked that they hadn't been arrested yet for loitering. "We have to get them away from the house."

Mihawk gave him a bored stare across the seat, but didn't comment as he drove forward and parked his car around the corner. He could still see his friends, though.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed Johnny. "What's going on?"

"Big bro, Zoro! Where you at? We've been scooping out that guy's house like ya asked. He hasn't left since he got back home. Say hi, Yosaku."

"What's up, Bro! When ya gonna be here? We've been here for _hours _now!"

_How stupid can you guys be?! _Very calmly, he asked through gritted teeth. "That's great guys...Got a question though..."

He watched as Johnny and Yosaku hurdled over the phone. "Sure thing, bro. What's up?"

"Why the fuck are you two standing in front of that bastards house?!" He felt imsense enjoyment as he watched the two jump up in fear, frantically looking around for him. "I told you two to watch him, not glare at his door out in the open where anyone can call the cops 'cause you two were being creepy assholes! Leave now before I get over there and kick both of your asses!" The two scrambled over one another to escape his wrath.

Mihawk chuckled. "Nicely put."

He watched his friends run away; he knew he'd have to call them up later and maybe apologize, but for now he enjoyed every second of their panic. "Well, now that it's clear, I'm gonna pay our guy a visit."

...

"Are you planning on leaving me in the car?"

"Maybe."

"You know I can slit your throat before you even reach for the handle, right?"

"Uh-huh." The glare he recieved from the older man forced him to elaborate. "I don't know why I feel this unjustified need to kick this guy's ass alone, but I got to or I'm not going to feel completely satisfied with the outcome. _You _go in and it's over in an instant, taking all the fun out of it."

"You're whining again." Mihawk shock his head and leaned back into his seat, he tugged his hat over his eyes. "Do whatever makes you comfortable, Zoro. Just be quick about. Should I phone the authorities? Or will you do that when you are finished?"

He grinned, opening his door with his blade in hand. "I'll take care of everything, just be ready to gun it."

oOoOoOoO

Watching Zoro slowly make his way down the sidewalk to Fullbody's house, he sighed. _I did not come on this trip to be a _chaffeur_. _He sighed._ I will have to punish him later for this injustice._

Propping his seat back, he clasped his hands in his lap.

_He better make this quick._

oOoOoOoO

_"I'll give anything you want, but please, don't hurt me!"_

_"Shut up, you bastard."_

The man that had opened the door was pathetic. Dirty pink hair, bloodshot eyes, the smell of achohol clung to the man like a second skin. His clothes were in disarry and spot stained. But it was definately the guy described by the witness in the previous incidents.

Fullbody sneered. "What the hell do you want?"

_This is the guy that hurt Sanji..._

His anger rising, he forced his way into the drunken mans' house. Ignoring Fullbody's protests and threats on calling the police, he surveyed the room. Liquor bottles and trash littered the floors; in the kitchen, dishes and leftover food covered the counter. The smell was enough to make him almost want to abandon his mission and leave this disgusting place.

Fullbody grabbed his arm. "What the fuck are you doing?! Get out of my house!" He took a swing at him.

He caught the mans' arm, growling. "I don't think so, asshole." Grabbing the front of Fullbody's shirt, he brought him close to his face. "I know a couple of people who want your hide."

Fullbody was panicking now, struggling to free himself from his grasp. "What the hell are you talking about, man? Lemme go!"

"Depending on your answer; I'll either kick your ass now, or I'll kick your ass and then take you to jail. And don't try to lie to me. Do you understand?" He warned. When Fullbody continued to struggle, he shook him back back to attention, asking again. "_Do you understand?_"

Tears were now making their way down Fullbody's face as he nodded. "Y-Yes. Just p-please don't hurt me."

You motherfucking asshole.

He shoved the other towards the couch. "Sit the fuck down."

His anger was only rising as fullbody easily complied, scrambling over himself to do as he was told. "Were you involved in the recent arson attacks?"

Fullbody visibly stiffened, looking everywhere around the room, but him. When he spoke, his voice rose several pitches. "I-I have no idea what your talking about." Now anger crossed his face. "How dare you force your way into my home and start accusing me of...of arson?! You'll be hearing from my lawyer!"

He was starting to get bored with Fullbody's act of bravado, since it seemed clearly obvious that he was scared and lying through his teeth. He slammed his fist into Fullbody's jaw,leaning forward, his glare darkening. "You better stop lying to me. I've spoken to several eyewitnesses and each have claimed to have seen you. Which is odd, because all of the incidents were counties apart. And I personally saw you at the scene of the last burning." He pulled out his phone, showing the picture he'd taken. "Now explain to me why you were at every site?"

"It's just a...a coincidence! I was visiting friends when those fires started."

He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "How weird, because I went around in each area and spoke to the residents. No one knew you. But a few did mention that they'd seen you walking around the area before each accident."

Fullbody was starting to get nervous now, he could see that much. Eyes twitching, jaw clenched, hands opening and closing at his sides. The guy's eyes nervously locked onto his case strapped over his shoulder.

He gripped Wado's sheath. "Now, how about you tell me why you were at each property."

"What's in the case?"

"Nothing you should concern yourself with as long as you tell me the truth." He leaned forward again inyo Fullbody's face. "Why did you burn down those residents? Remember, I have multiple eyewitnesses who place you." He took a seat on the table, facing him. "I'm willing to wait as long as it takes, but I may run out of patience and start kicking your ass now until you decide to talk."

He unsheathed his sword, watching the fear on the mans face. The blade gleamed in the low light.

Fullbody only lasted about two minutes before he cracked.

Fullbody shot up from the couch, body tensed, he shouted. "It's their own fucking fault! They fucking deserved it for touching Rose." Tears of frustration streaked his face as he choked on his sobs. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes.

_Rose?_

"What does she have to do with anything?"

That anger was back, he was practically shaking. "Those...those monsters touched my Rose! She was supposed to be my fiance when I found out about them."

_I see..._

"So, basically you were getting revenge against the guys that your fiance slept with behind your back?" He stated, still pissed. _At least the attacks weren't random._

_Wait_.

He inwardly cringed. _That means that asshole Sanji slept with an engaged woman. _What feelings he may or may not have for the blonde were definately not going to be reciprocated.

"They took advantage of her!"

"So, you admit that you started the fires?" He said, standing up. He grabbed Fullbody's arm. "Let's go."

"What? Where are you taking me?"

"You really are stupid, aren't you?" He muttered. Glancing over his shoulder, he added. "You get a new choice. Either you come with me now and turn yourself in, or I can beat the shit outta you and then we can both go to jail. I don't really mind either way. Choose wisely, because I'll thoroughly enjoy the latter."

...

He didn't get to enjoy the latter as Fullbody climbed into the back of Mihawk's car, but he did take pleasure in seeing the unease on the mans' face from sitting so close to the claymore.

_I should've brought Sanji and let him get his say. Would've made us both feel better._

"If you try to escape, , I will not hesitate in slitting your throat."

oOoOoOoO

(That Morning)

"Damn...Oh, my head."

He snorted, flipping pancakes. "That's what you get."

"Did I run into something last night? 'Cause my side hurts like hell." Ace whined, leaning over the counter, grimacing in pain.

"I kicked you last night for mindfucking Smoker in the livingroom...in _front _of me, no less!"

Ace gave him a disappointed frown. "Shame I can't remember. Was probably _amazing_." He groaned. "I miss Smokey."

_I don't know how to handle a depressed gay man._

"Well, I can't help you with that...but I can at least say that..." _Oh, what _do _I say? _"...it's uh, his loss. Maybe you shoulder...find someone else?"

Ace sighed, looking more derpressed than ever. "It doesn't work like that when you truly love someone. It's not as frivolous as your _supposed _love for that Nami girl. I don't drown my unreqainted love in the bed of some random person."

He glared over his shoulder. "That better be your hangover talking. And my love for Nami is pure and true." _That sounded corny as hell._

"You just slept with Mika. Not so much pure and ture there."

Okay, he couldn't deny that. It sounded really bad from that prospective. He loved Nami, thought she was the most beautiful girl at school. "I do love Nami."

"I can prove you wrong."

His eye twitched. "There's no way you could prove it."

Ace sat back in his seat, hands cuffed before him. A sad look crossed over his face. "Whenever I think of Smoker, I can imagine our whole lives together. I can't see anyone else making me happier than him. I can't even imagine the thought of sleeping with anyone else anymore." He fell silent.

_That sounds...nice..._

Ace continued. "Now, when you think of Nami, do you imagine anyone else when you think of the future?" The sad thing was...he could imagine others, and did partake with others when Nami failed to return his affections. "You do, don't you?"

He remained silent.

"Then you don't truly love her." The man stated. There wasn't anything he could say to defend himself and it only aggravated him more. "I have another question for you about love."

"I don't know if I can take anymore." He muttered through gritted teeth. _Shit, just shut up._

Ace smirked. "What's your opinion on Zoro?"

The effect was catastrophic. His spatula fell from his hand, his knees gave out and his jaw smashed into the counter. Holding his abused jaw, he threw an disbelieving look over his shoulder. "What?"

Ace had doubled over laughing. "That was a _way _better reaction that I expected." When he managed to finally calm down, the man continued. "But seriously, haven't you ever thought the reason you could never keep a girlfriend was because you may bat for my team?"

"There is no fucking way I could ever be attracted to men! Besides what's Zoro got to do with this? He isn't gay."

Ace smirked. "What makes you say that?"

He snorted. _No way in hell. _"Why are we still having this conversation?" The freckled man stared at him expectingly. He groaned. "Just because _you _wish that Zoro was into guys doesn't mean he is."

"_I _wish? Why wish for Zoro when I got Smoker?"

"_Had _Smoker."

Ace sighed, frowning. "Had Smoker."

"And I can keep a girlfriend just fine."

"When was the last time you ever had a girlfriend?"

"What are you talking about? I just had one yesterday."

"..."

"..."

"No, that was a quick fuck. When was the last time you had a girl that you actually spent the next day with?"

_Good question..._

He's had a few girlfriends, but when he thought back to it...even those relationships were more phyiscal than romantical. And he was a romantic by heart. But the girl's he dated didn't seem to be interested in the whole 'dating' thing, most just wanted a quick round between the sheets.

"You know the reason most guys can't settle down with a girl is because something's missing. Most of the time it's a bit of the anatomy."

"Sorry if my preferances are different than yours."

"Maybe you're like me?"

He stared over and gave Ace a dull look. "How in the hell am I like you?"

"Well, before I found myself, I slept around with a lot of women. But what finally broke me was the need to be so fucking gentle with 'em."

"So..." He shuddered. "You like it rough? That's what switched you over?" _I can't believe we're still talking about this._

"That is a plus, I will say that. But, no. I just..." A strange, thoughtful look crossed Ace's face. "...I guess I couldn't really let go with a female. Mentally or physically. Their bodies are too soft. I wanted someone I could fight with." Now the man was smiling. "There isn't a lot of things that's better than truly letting yourself go with someone and them being able to take it and throw it back."

Once again, the idea sounded pretty good.

He did always have to focus on being gentle with the girls he dated, that lingering frustration of never giving himself entirely. _But to give up on the beautiful ladies for..._

He shook his head. "Sorry, no can do. Even if I were to give up the ladies, I'd have better taste than to go for a guy like Zoro."

"Nice to know your opinion, shit cook."

"Zoro?!" He nearly dropped the carton of eggs he had picked up. "When the hell did you get here?" Zoro looked pretty bad. Clothes disheveled, eyes bloodshot, and had bags under his eyes. _Is that blood?_

The man blinked behind his glasses, obviously not impressed. "I live here. I can come and go as I please."

"Where were you last night? Is that blood on your shirt?"

Zoro now stared at him in confusion. "You're starting to sound like a jealous wife or something."

"What'cha call me?!

Ace laughed. "This is great. Totally worth the hangover!"

Sanji sighed as the two older men continued to bicker. _At least he doesn't seem mad anymore._


	13. First

A/N: Sasuke14u~ Hey everybody, I'm alive. I revised chapter 11 so if you wanna reread the last chapter feel free to do so. Sorry i've been lazy lately. :)

Zero101~ Hopefully Sasuke14u sticks with the program.

Sasuke14u~ Well, hey now! You went ahead and put the chapter up w/o me. Usually i proof stuff before it even goes up. Uuuuhhhhh... .

Zero101~ ...you took too long and the peoples were waiting.

Sasuke14u~ You know i love them. I'm just going through too much stuff. Whatever... On with the story!

~Both~ Peace! See you next week! Maybe...

**Chapter 12. First...**

By the next day at school, everything was pretty much back to normal. Even though Zoro still gave him the occasional weird look. The next week that followed was pretty much dull in retrospective. Mika was still too embarrassed to talk to him, not that he could blame her. Though, in truth, it didn't bother him all that much. After thinking about what Ace said about finding equals...

He groaned. _Ugh, I'm so not going there. _He glanced up at Zoro who was currently teaching.

_Definately _not _going there._

"Okay, class. I'm going to be handing out a list of various books. By the end of next week, I want a two page book report on one of your choice. You don't have to be finished with it, but you will still have to have a grasp on what the book's about. You'll get extra points though if you finish it. And please, don't cheat off the internet."

Luffy moaned pathetically, drapping himself across his desk. "Awww, more reading?"

Zoro gave the kid a bored stare. "This _is _a Literature class, Luffy."

The black haired teen pouted on. "Still too much reading."

The teacher sighed, shaking his head. "I can tell your Ace's brother." A girl in the back threw her arm up. "Yes?"

"You mentioned awhile back that you and Mr. Portgus went to college together. What was it like?"

Sanji sat up straighter at his desk, interest piqued. _This I gotta hear._

Zoro crossed his arms, his face deep in thought as he considered the question. He suddenly grimaced. "I guess the best way to descibe it would be hell."

You could hear the crickets from the biology class down the hall. "Be more specific!" The class shouted, even him. _Damn vague idiot swordsman._

Zoro glasses nearly fell off his face when he jumped at the shouts. "What exactly do you want to know? And did you all happen to forget that we're in class?"

A boy from the front answered. "Come on! Class is almost over anyway."

"Yeah, tell us a crazy story from your college days."

"Come on, Zoro! Tell us something."

_Poor guy's outnumbered._

The older mans face was red from the shift in attention from his students. Zoro finally snorted. "Go ask Ace, he'll probably tell you something."

Luffy suddenly grinned. "You sure about that? Cause you of all people should know that Ace doesn't keep many secrets." Zoro froze, suddenly looking petrified. "Who knows what stories he'll tell..."

Zoro finally snapped. "Mind your own business or I'll assign more work!" The class groaned, but dropped the subject in fear of more work.

_Buncha quitters. _Zoro continued grumbling to himself as he returned to his desk. _Why is he always so defensive? Maybe I'll ask him about it later._

oOoOoOoO

"Shut up, Ace. It's seriously not wanted."

"Oh, come on. I think it's hilarious! I woulda told them how _cute _and _shy _you were. How easily you got into fights cause you were _teased _for being so young. How the ladies _adored _you like you were some kinda cute little puppy." Ace continued to laugh, leaning back into the bleachers.

He could feel his face burning at the memories. "Ace, I'm going to cut you up into pieces if you continue speaking. I don't need to hear about it, it was bad enough _living _it."

His friend swung his arm over his shoulders. "You were just so cute back then."

"I really hate you, you know."

"Love you, too." Ace slowly calmed down and changed the topic. "So, everythings square between you and Sanji?"

He shrugged. "'Square' as it's gonna get, I guess. Not like I can ground him or stop him from having sex. I was just glad he agreed to not bring his dates over anymore. I don't want strange kids coming in and out of my house."

"Goodpoint, you're paranoid enough as it is." Ace laughed, messing with his green hair.

He didn't have the energy to get mad at the guy over it. He'd known about the man and his weird touchy-feely attitude to long now to truly get irritated by it anymore. He yawned, rubbing his good eye. "You okay, Zoro? You don't look so hot."

"Just tired. Haven't slept too well since this whole mess started."

"You gonna tell Sanji about Fullbody? I mean, that was totally nice what you did for him." Ace giggled. "Regaining his honor an' all."

He snorted. "He knows the guys' in jail, he doesn't need to know it was me that put him there."

"How'd you get outta jail time? I know you kicked that bastard's ass."

"Mihawk."

"..."

"..."

"No detailed story?"

He shuddered. "_I _still don't really know how. Kinda don't want to." He ran a hand over his forehead, recalling the officers terrified look as he was released.

Ace nodded. "That's probably for the best."

He crossed his arms over his knees, resting his head down.

_My head's killing me._

oOoOoOoO

_Where the hell's Zoro? I need to get ready for work. _He's been outside waiting by his teachers truck for over ten minutes and he was starting to get seriously pissed off._ If that asshole makes me late for work, I'll kill 'em. _

Pushing away from Zoro's truck, he made his way back towards the school in hopes that he didn't need to drag the man out to take him home.

He froze, just outside the entrance. _Wait...home? When the hell did I start thinking that?_

It's been barely over a month since Zoro had started working at his school, and so far, the odd relationship they have hadn't really changed much since day one. They still disliked each other, still called one another names, even threw in some punches occasionaly. Living with the man still unnerved him a little, but he was handling it surprisingly well.

He even got over the fact that Zoro kept him after the bike had been repaired. Sure, he ranted and raved at the man for being an idiot, but he figured...if he hadn't been at Zoro's home, the guy that burned his house down probably would've done it with _him _in it.

He even got the old man to talk about his past, which apparently hurt Zoro to talk about. _So...I gotta mean something to the guy..._Even Chopper said he was probably the closest thing to being Zoro's friend, other than himself and Ace.

He shook his head and made his way to the marimo's classroom, his grip on his backpack tightened. _Chopper mentioned that he has gotten healthier since I started taking care of him..._He snorted at that. _Of course, he is. My cooking is fucking amazing. _And _I cleaned his nasty ass room. He owes me._

He pushed open his homeroom class door ready to break something. Zoro sat at his desk, face buried in his arms, snoring.

He dropped his bag on the floor, glare darkening. _You lazy asshole! _Zoro twitched in his sleep, his head turning to face him. He groaned, throwing his arms up in exhasperation. _Damn it, Zoro!_

"Oi." He walked over and tapped the guy's shoulder, trying not to give into his urge to simply push him out of the chair. "Wake up, shithead. I need to get to work." The man groaned, his scarred eye clenching. He shook him. "Come on, jerkass!"

He saw it coming, could've avoided it. But he watched as Zoro's hand reached over and grabbed his wrist, gently lacing his fingers through his. The man let out a contented sigh as his fingers tightened ever so slightly.

He blushed, glaring at the man. _Who knew the seaweed head was so touchy feely when he slept...Well, Chopper did say he was a cuddler. _He tugged at his hand. "Zoro, I need to go to work and I'm not letting you make me late." He rose his leg...

"No need to kick the poor man." Shanks santured in, his usual grin in place. He gently pushed him away and grasped Zoro's shoulder, leaning over to whisper something in his ear.

"Like that'll work, I've been shouting at him for the la-"

Zoro shot up, red faced and gasping for breath. "I'm awake!" He glared up at the red haired man hovering over him, laughing his ass off.

"What the hell did you say?"

Shanks smirked, waving his finger. "Language, Mr. Black. I just mentioned that I can always sick Hawkeye on him if he didn't get up soon." The man sighed, almost dreamily. "That man can be _very _convincing."

_Uh...okay?_

Zoro groaned, running one hand through his hair while the other reached for his glasses. He finally noticed him standing there. "Why are you still here? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for work?"

_Is he serious? _Zoro was flung flew across the room from a well placed kick to his chair. "You're my fucking ride asshole!"

...

Zoro awkwardly looked away. "Yeah...right..." He reached under his desk and grabbed his case and bag. "Alright, let's go then."

"You're gonna play act like this didn't happen, aren't you?"

"Pretty much."

Shanks laughed as Zoro passed the both of them. The principal patted his shoulder. "I think it's just _so _great that you two get along so well." He leaned over and spoke in his ear. "You may want to catch up with him...he forgets things when he just wakes up."

"'Get along' my ass." He growled, running after Zoro, wondering how everyone seemed to know the man so well.

oOoOoOoO

(After 10)

_Okay...How the hell do I get Sanji's attention?_

Yes, he Roronoa Zoro, has finally admitted that he may have feelings for Sanji shitcook Black and was seriously unhappy about it. He wanted to kill Mihawk for forcing the subject to his attention, because now it wasn't going to go away.

He knew having feelings for one of his students was immoral and wrong, but it was like the older man said, the blonde would graduate after this year and was officially no ones problem. He could wait if the feelings were still there...

He was a patient man.

Now as he waited for the teen to come home from work, slowly drinking himself into a stupor, he was starting to get pissed at himself. _Man, this sucks. I don't fucking _do _crushes._ Glaring down at his glass as if it had wronged him in someway, he frowned. _Why am I even bothering myself with this? It's not like anything's going to come out of it..._

He thought back to Sanji's comment about how he'd never be attracted to men, least of all him. Can't say he blamed the teen. Not many would want to be with a guy who drinks nonstop and has what people call 'limited personality'. He knew people thought his scars were gross, even Sanji had looked disgusted when he had first saw them.

He snorted, slightly hiccuping in the process as he reached over for the Jack Daniels bottle for a refill. "Fucking_hic_ wimp, can't handle a few little_hic_ scars." He muttered, then his eyes traveled to the one down his chest, his frown deepening. "Okay...that one's_hic _bad."

"Talking to yourself isn't helping your image much, idiot swordsman." He barely managed to not drop his glass as he turned to watch his blonde roommate saunter into the room, unbuttoning his coat and loosening his tie with graceful hands. "You eat yet?"

"Nah, but I'm fine." He closed his eyes and sighed, resting his cheek against the back of the couch. "You can just go on to bed, you got school tomorrow." _Go away so I can wallow in peace._

He nearly choked when he opened his eyes to see Sanji's glaring eye staring down at him, barely a few inches away. He could smell the smoke lingering on the teens breath as he spoke. "What the hell do you want to eat, marimo. Before I beat the shit outta you."

"Fuck you very much, brat. And get out of my face, you're ruining my buzz here."

Sanji's glare darkened, and he leaned even closer. "'Buzzed' my ass, you're so drunk you've been trying to drink from an empty bottle."

"_hic_What?" He brought his drink over and tipped the bottle, nearly crying when only a drop fell out. "Fucking_hic_ hell." He won't admit later that he was whimpering over the loss. He gave the blonde a pleading look. "Get me_hic_ another bottle?"

Sanji shook his head as he stood. "You're pathetic when you're depressed."

"I'm not_hic _depressed, I'm just drunk."

"Obviously."

_Damn it, I don't need this right now. Shoulda went to Ace's..._

He must've blacked out for a few seconds after he stood up, because he didn't know how Sanji's arms got around his chest, the teens frame pressing into his back. "Wha' the_hic_ hell are you doing? Let go_hic_."

oOoOoOoO

He stared incrudiously at his green haired teacher, distrubed by how far gone the man was. _What the hell set _him _off? _"What? How about a 'thanks' for making sure you didn't bust your face into the coffee table?"

Zoro groaned as he struggled with the mans weight, nearly dropping him. "I wanna go to Ace's. You're fucking buzzkill."

"Too fucking bad. Come on, you're going to bed."

"When did you get_hic _home any_hic_way?" the man muttered, trying to free himself and more than likely fall face first onto the floor. _Should just let bust his head open, serves him right for drinking himself into a pathetic green blob. _Zoro leaned his head back into his shoulder and sighed. "Maybe I'm still_hic_ dreaming..."

He decided to play along, hoping it would help him get his inebriated roommate to bed and out of his hair. "Sure, let's go with that. Now lets get you to bed."

He started to drag his friends dead weight down the hallway when Zoro muttered. "You're usually nicer."

Laughing, he asked, "You dream about me a lot then?" _I'm so going to blackmail you later for this, you moron. _Zoro shrugged, nearly falling out of his arms. _You can't be serious. _"Zoro?"

He glanced down and noticed the small smile that lit up the mans face. Even his bad eye seemed to be glowing in a strange form of content, a small blush spread on his cheeks. But the look quickly vanished as the man glanced around him. "Wasn't I_hic_ on the couch? Why you dragging_hic_ me? I can walk."

His face deadpanned, and he said. "You talk a lot more when your drunk."

He kicked the mans door and was pleased that the room was still clean, only a few articles of clothing scattered the floor. _Better still be clean. _He dropped Zoro on the bed, the man cursing as he rose himself on his elbows. "Go to sleep."

Zoro's hand shot out and grabbed his hand, tugging him down. "You're such a_hic_ demanding little prick."

He glared down at the grinning man as he was forced to sit on the edge of the bed. "And you're a shithead. Let go of me so I can get ready for bed. _You're _the one that said I got school in the morning."

He was completely dumbfounded. He felt Zoro's hand run through his hair, his cheek being gently caressed, saw the mans' hooded eyes slowly drawing closer...

He couldn't comprehend the light touch of Zoro's lips on his, but the sensation ended as soon as it began when the man parted from him and fell back down onto his side with a slurred 'g'night'. A soft snoring filled the room.

_I've just been kissed by a man..._

The thought continued to repeat itself in his mind as he left the room and staggered to his own, locking the door behind him. He leaned against the frame and slid down to the floor, his face flaming as reality sunk.

He didn't feel as angry as he should've. Didn't feel disgusted or anything!

He tapped his head against the door and pulled out his cigarettes from his pocket, his hands shaking as he lit one and brought it up to his lips. _Ohhh..._

_...fuck._

A/N: Sasuke14u~ yay

Zero101~ Do you want Zoro/Ace to have a previous relationship or not? Leave a comment or review or whatever since no one answers polls. Thanks guys.


	14. Extra 2 Ace And Zoro

**Extra 2. Ace And Zoro**

Ace's POV

7 years ago (Ace 18/Zoro 15)

Aren't most teenagers supposed to have fun?

The brat that'd been living in his dorm for over a month now hasn't so much as said five words other than 'fuck off' or 'be quiet', and it was starting to get on his last nerve. Zoro just kept his nose stuck in his studies or just stare at the stupid white case he carried around everywhere with him. Ace had tried to look in it once, but his plan was foiled when the kid woke up to see him hovering over it.

Needless to say, it didn't bode well for either of them when they had to explain the bruises to the teachers. He took it as a win though, cause he finally got a raise out of the stoic green-haired genius.

_But he's so boring! _He didn't know how to handle someone who didn't know how to have fun. _Brat's too young to drink, he won't come to party with me, and he seems to hate any form of human contact. What the hell's wrong with him? He should be having fun with people his own age._ Which, when he thought about it, was probably hard to do when you go to school with people four to eight years older than yourself. He felt pretty sorry for Zoro not having anyone to really talk to.

He leaned back against the wall by his bed, arms crossed as he examined his soon to be new friend. The kid that was forever studying. He smirked. _I'll just have to try harder to corrupt the little brat._

oOoOoOoO

Zoro's POV

_Why does he keep staring at me?_

He glared over his shoulder, glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. Ace's smile grew when he realized he had his full attention. "Hey, 'bout time you finally looked over."

His brow rose, throwing the man an annoyed look.

"Don't you do anything fun? I mean, come on. You're still a kid! Go do something for once." Ace continued on and on about how he should be outside playing (even though it was late september, meaning it was cold and rainy), how he should be calling his friends (which he didn't have, due to being homeschooled and then immediately sent to college), or to at least go out and get a girlfriend.

_How am I supposed to do that?_

"Are you finished?"

"Not really, but I'd love if you'd say more than just a handfull of words. Do you ever conversate with anyone?"

"Professors."

Ace groaned, throwing his hands up. The freckled man rose to his feet and grabbed his hat. "That's it, let's go."

"Go?" His eyes widened, staring incredulously at his roommate. "Go where? I have a report due this week." He was wrenched out of his seat and unceremoniously thrown on his bed. He scrambled up about to start screaming when a shirt slapped his face. "What the hell?"

He glared up at the man that towered over him, but Ace merely smirked down at him with his arms crossed. "You're taking the day off, you brat. Come on, we're going out."

_Has he lost his mind?_

He probably would've been forced to bend to the man's wishes...if the guys eyes didn't roll to the back of his head and collapse to the floor. Now face down on the floor, Zoro stepped over Ace's body and continued with his report.

_What a waste of time..._

Ace woke up, cursing him for the mistreatment.

oOoOoOoO

(Ace 19/ Zoro 16)

He just wanted to finish his project on Physcology and go take a nap. He did not need to walk in and find some redhead writhing in pleasure as he rode Ace frantically, both of their moans of pleasure filling the small space of the room.

Ace sat up, nearly toppling the guy off him.

He ignored the two as they scrambled over one another, grabbing his ipod and textbook before heading for the door. Just before leaving, he muttered sarcastically. "Sorry for interupting." He shut the door behind him, leaving his roommate in awkward silence.

Zoro groaned, running a hand through his hair, a furious blush finally covering his face. _I think I'm traumatized_. He glared down at his textbook. _And it's all your fault!_ The library was already closed and he didn't really have anywhere else to go, so he unhappily plugged in his earbuds and sat on the floor to continue doing his work. _Ace is sooo going to fucking pay for this._

...

He frowned as his door opened not too long later and the mystery redhead made a quick exit without so much as a glance at him. _Huh...I only got through three songs..._He snorted. _They must've gotten off pretty quick._

Ace stood awkwardly in the doorway, running a hand threw his bedridden hair. "Uh...sorry you had to see that." _No you're not, you're not even blushing. _"I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

"It's almost ten."

More shuffling from the man. "_Yeah_...sorry about that." He held his hand out. "Need help?"

"You don't look sorry at all, asshole." Ace grinned, grabbing the back of his shirt to drag him back into their dorm.

"Not really."

His books fell from his arms, and his ipod got caught in the door as it closed. Ace nearly tore his shirt as he physically lifted him off the ground to throw him onto the bed. Shouting profanities apparently weren't enough to get the other mans attention, so he decided to kick Ace's leg when he turned to grabbed one of his discarded books.

He crossed his arms and pouted (though he would never admit it to anyone)."You could've at least sprayed the room. It ranks of sweat and shame."

Ace blinked at him over his shoulder, probably insulted. "I'm not ashamed of a good lay."

He shrugged. "Must be the other guy's then."

"I bet if you found someone to get you off, you'd be a lot less bitchy. Go find a girlfriend...or a boyfriend...what the hell are you anyway? Do you even think about sex like, you know, a normal guy your age?" The man stared at him for a second before continuing his rant. Handing him his books, Ace suddenly grinned. "I bet you haven't even had your first kiss."

He shook his head, not really caring one way or the other as he grabbed his book and opened to the page he was reading before he was _rudely _interupted. "Not really, no."

...

He wasn't expecting to suddenly be hugged, his hair being gently petted, face pressed into a broad chest. "I'm so sorry. It's no wonder you always act like there's a stick up your ass."

He shoved at the man, face flaming at the unexpected contact. "Get off me!"

Ace pulled back, still grinning. "You're so cute and innocent! No wonder all the girls here coddle you, they can probably sense the puppies and kittens and rainbow sparkles pouring from your virgin spirit. "

"What kind of nonsense are you spewing now?! Have you lost your mind?"

oOoOoOoO

He'd been teasing the poor kid for a little over a week now, and he had the feeling that Zoro was about ready to start the slice 'n' dice on his ass if he didn't back off soon. He didn't spread the news around about the green-haired kid's innocence, but he did get quite a few people to start calling the brat 'chibi'.

What's cuter than a kid who was so serious about _everything_, turning wide eyed and red faced every time his new nickname was shouted across campus...or in class? The girls loved it, which embarrassed Zoro all the more when random chicks threw their arms around him. He couldn't say was a bad thing. For a guy to have girls willingly squeeze his face into their breasts was quite hard to come by.

But the attention seemed to be wearing on the poor guy, so out of the goodness of his heart, he'd busted Zoro outta trouble when the chance arose.

Though the brat never thanked him for the escape.

Zoro was now ignoring his existence, curled up on his bed with his back facing him. The teen was already there when he'd come back from his friends place and had hardly moved in the last hour.

"Oh, will you get over it? It's just a name. Let's kiss and make up already." Nothing. "Does it seriously piss you off that much? I'll go tell everyone to stop 'cause your being a big crybaby over it." Still no response. "I know you can hear me! Turn the fuck around and talk to me."

He scratched his head, frowning. _Uugh, Luffy's right. I can't handle people ignoring me. _Stepping up to the bed, he peered over and wanted to smack himself. The little brat was passed out with earphones in. _Okay...I'm an idiot. Shoulda probably checked him before I started talking to myself._

Zoro suddenly rolled, arm flying over his shoulders and pulling him down onto the bed next to the teen. He snuggled his face into his chest, a cute snore soon following.

He was stumped.

He didn't know how to handle having a guy _innocently _cuddle up to him, escpically not someone like Zoro. He was only used to being cuddled with after having sex or whenever he visited home and his younger brother didn't want him outta his sight.

He glanced down at the boy, his nose almost nestled into his green hair. _He's even cuter than I thought! _He grinned. _Fuck it, he's dubbed chibi for life._

He moved to get up...only to have Zoro's arms tighten around his neck, along with the kid tangling their legs together.

_I don't have the heart to wake him up._ He groaned. _Looks like I'm stuck here until he wakes up...oh well. You're lucky you're cute, you little brat._

...

He didn't like being pushed off the other's bed the next morning, but it was worth seeing how flustered the kid got.

oOoOoOoO

(Ace 21/ Zoro 18)

He got dumped.

Near the beginning of his third year (17 at the time), he met a nice boy who was just enrolled. His name was Saga. Handsome, tall. Straight, silver hair and dark eyes. And he was a kendo student at one of the rec facilities nearby. It was hard not to notice him. It didn't take long for him to find out the man's sexual orientation, and not long after that to work up the nerve to ask him out.

It was his first true relationship.

_"What?"_

_He stared bewildered at his boyfriend, the man he thought he cared for more than anyone else, unsure what he heard was right. It just couldn't be._

_But Saga stood awkardly before him, eyes averted, scratching the back of his head. "Listen, I'm sorry, but it's just not working out." He wasn't going to beg the man to change his mind, he had too much pride for that. Then the man had the nerve to laugh. "We had loads of fun, yeah? It's just..."_

He found out a long time ago that he didn't find girls attractive, and that his eyes followed guys around when his interest was piqued. Even Ace has caught his attention on several occasions. The man just wasn't his type though.

He didn't know why the man he'd been dating for six months suddenly dumped him, he just knew that it hurt and he really wasn't in the mood to deal with anybody.

Leaning against his bed on the floor, an almost empty bottle of Captain Morgan in his hand, he drowned his sorrows in the dark liquid, his human studies book in his lap. His glasses not helping his blurry vision at all at this point.

_What the hell's wrong with me? It shouldn't be this big of a deal._ He brought the bottle to his lips and took a swig. He'd be pleasantly buzzed out of his mind right now if his chest didn't feel like it was going to explode. _This shit ain't worth it. Just another weakness. I got more important stuff to worry about._

He shook his head to clear his mind, resolve set.

_I got to get stronger and beat Mihawk, or my promise to her won't mean anything. I can't lose focus like this again._

He could hear Ace laughing outside the dorm before the man walked in, hear the sharp intake of breath as the man caught the scent of achohol in the air. He didn't really care at this point what the man thought about him.

_Hey, he's been trying to get me to drink since I got here anyway...maybe he won't say anything._

"Damn, Zoro. What's gotten into you?"

He shrugged, turning a page. "Nothin' much_hic_." He rose the bottle to his lips and took a large gulp.

"That's some heavy stuff for a first timer. You may wanna take it easy."

"Whatever." He was finally starting to feel the numbing effect he'd been wanting. He held up the bottle. "I'll pay ya_hic_ back for this."

"No, it's fine. Just wondering what's the occasion?"

Leaning his head back against the mattress and toasted. "I_hic_ guess to being single." He glanced around. "Drink with me." Until he peered inside the bottle. "May need_hic_ another bottle though_hic_."

Ace frowned, probably guessing that he was drowning himself cause he broke up with the silver haired man. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

He frowned, pushing his book off his lap and bringing his knees up to his chest. Hand still gripping CM, he wrapped his arms around his knees. _Why couldn't Ace stay with his friends? I was just getting comfortable. _"Not really."

"Too fucking bad." The freckled man took a seat next to him, bringing with him another bottle of Captain Morgan. "I don't know why, but I feel like I need to go kick that fucker's ass for like, your honor or something."

He had to laugh at that. "I'm not_hic_ some chick, asshole." _Weird, no matter how much we piss each other off...somehow we're always there for each other._

He comforted the man during some of his breakups too, offering to go kill them, sometimes serious about the threat when they'd really hurt Ace. Hanged out with him when he drank himself into a coma and listened to him bitch about his ex's.

Ace uncorked the bottle. "So, what happened?"

He shrugged. "Not sure. Just said_hic_ he was done." They sat in silence, which was fine with him. Ace's arms suddenly wrapped around him in a lazy embrace, pulling him to his side. "What're you doin'?"

The man shrugged, the motion slightly jarring him. "Givin' ya a shoulder to cry on. Want me to kiss you better?"

"No, and I'm not gonna cry."

It didn't take long for him to silently break down, clutching his friend close until he passed out. He was grateful the other was nice enough to put him to bed and cover him up.

...

He ditched classses the next day to nurse his hangover.

Ace also ditched to take care of him, making fun of him when he said that he'd conquer this weakness even if he had to drink every night until he was immune.

oOoOoOoO

(Ace 22/ Zoro 19)

"What the hell, man? You're leaving?" Ace shouted from his spot on the bed, clearly pissed at the sudden drop if information.

He nodded, packing what was left of his belongings. "I'm going to be traveling for awhile." He straightened his back and stared at his best friend. "I'll be battling some of the worlds top fighters. It's my chance to become a stronger swordsman."

"You can't just up and leave. Who the hell am I supposed to piss off? Who's gonna be my drinking buddy? When you leaving, anyway?" In his opinion the man was just overreacting at this point .

"My flight's later this evening."

Ace sighed, flopping back onto his bed. "Whats the point of going to school when you're doing something that doesn't require it?"

"It was the deal my foster father and I agreed on back when I was younger. 'I go to school and he'd teach me.' It just seemed to take a little longer than I'd expected." He turned to Ace, who had covered his face with his hat. "Sorry I didn't mention anything to you, I figured you'd try to stop me."

"Hell yeah I would've."

Crossing the floor, he fell back into the mattress next to his friend and laid in silence. He did feel bad about not mentioning anything to Ace, but he knew the man.

"You gonna be alright here without me?" He asked. "I'm not going to be here to kick your boyfriend's asses when they piss you off."

Ace swung his arm over and hit his chest. "Like I ever needed your help with that."

"Not going to be here to help you with your homework either. Or hold your hair back when you drink to much."

The man let out a choked laugh. "I think I'll manage."

"You know I'll keep in touch...and it's not like I'll be gone forever." Now he was just babbling nonsense to comfort his friend, though it probably was just making him feel worse. And making himself want to cry.

Ace was the closest person to him, he cared deeply for the man.

"You better, or I'll come and find ya to kick your ass." The two shared a laugh and enjoyed the last few hours together in each other's company.

...

Outside the airport, he stared at his friend, the reality of the situation finally closing in on him. Zoro was leaving him. The brat that pissed him off to no end when he'd first arrived, the awkward teen who shirked everything dealing with the people around him, had grown into a man who'd was finally realizing his dream.

He'd watched the kid grow. Witnessed a lot of his first experiances, a lot being from himself. Watched Zoro awkwardly deal with his shyness (though Zoro never admitted it to himself). Watched the boy learn how to have a life, to enjoy himself.

Watched Zoro have his first crush, and first heartbreak.

_Okay, I'm so not gonna cry._

His friend turned and grinned at him. "You gonna miss me?"

He snorted, turning his no doubtably red face away. "Fuck no. Go on, get on your plane before you miss your chance." He made a shooing motion with his hand, dismissing him.

Zoro surprised him as he threw his arms around his shoulders, hugging him close. "I'll call ya when I get there."

_This is too much like some cheesy chick flick._

Zoro stepped back and smiled. "I'll see ya in a few years, kay? You'd better go drinking with me when I come back."

He smirked. "Hopefully you get over that clingyness you got going on." Laughing as his friends face turned red, he asked. "Oh, and I'm claiming that kiss now."

"Huh?"

Grasping the man's head before he could react, he pulled him up and kissed him. Lips practically devouring the others, he was surprised when Zoro met him full on, meeting him just as agressively.

When they had finally pulled back, he discovered that Zoro's hands had found themselves on his hips, pulling him close. The man's red face clashed with his hair when he noticed the people staring at them, but he still didn't immediately push away.

He sighed, leaning his forehead against the others. "Shoulda had you at least once."

Zoro blinked, confused. "What're you talking about."

He patted his friends hair, laughing as he backed up. "Nothing, nothing. Now, you better get going." Zoro stared at him for a few moments, his emotions that he rarely showed playing across his face. He snorted, turning his friend around and pushed him towards the entrance. "Get the hell outta here. I'll see ya when you get back."

Zoro waved, not turning back around as he marched towards the doors, leaving him to stare at his back.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, a wave of deep sadness coursing through him. He rubbed his aching chest. _Damn it, I just lost my best friend. _He smiled after a moment, thinking on the bright side.

"He'll be back before long."

...

He watched Zoro's plane take off and with one last lingering look, turned away and left. He grinned.

_You better come back as the best, Zoro. Or I'll never let ya live it down._

_oOoOoOoO_

A/N: Zero101~ Shut up AceZo hater's, they had a moment. Deal with it. There had to be one.

Sasuke14u~ I'm all good. The SmoAce is coming... :3


	15. Awkward

(A/N: Zero101 speaking, this chapter sucked to write. Hopefully you'll enjoy it, even though it's not the best I've written.)

**Chapter 13. Awkward**

He hadn't slept, and Zoro had the nerve to sit and eat breakfast like last night never even happened. The older man obviously didn't remember that he'd kissed him in his drunken stupor, and that pissed him off to no end.

_I want to kill him._

Zoro glanced up at him, appearing concerned. "You okay? You look like you didn't get any sleep."

His hand gripped the pan's handle tighter as he threw a baggy eyed glare over his shoulder, and decided to ignore the man. _I will kill him...I will kick his ass so hard he'll be tasting my boots for weeks._

Zoro sighed, taking off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry I made you late for work. I'll talk to your boss if you got into any trouble."

"That's not why I'm fucking mad." He growled throw his teeth. "You're a fucking moron, you know that? Go fuck yourself." Turning off the stove, he left the kitchen before he decided to see how many of Zoro's bones he could break until it was time to go to school.

_Damn it! It pisses me off more that he doesn't remember that fucking kiss! How fucking messed up is that?_

oOoOoOoO

He watched as his student stomped away, pissed off for some reason. He ran a hand through his hair.

_Sanji's bitchier than usual._

The boy had been mad at him since he woke up on the floor of his room, not really knowing how he'd gotten there in the first place. The last thing he remembered was drinking in his living room, watching House...he must've stumbled to bed at some point last night.

_Did I even see Sanji last night?_ He shrugged, deciding to worry about it later and get ready for work. _He'll tell me later...or we'll just fight it out and let it go. Either way works for me._

oOoOoOoO

"You okay, Sanji? You're eyes look pretty bad, and you're tapping your fingers like you're either wantin' to smoke or kill someone." Usopp asked, leaning forward to inspect his face closer. The boy frowned. "No need to give me the evil eye, man. I was just worried."

Nami leaned against his shoulder, grinning as she poked his cheek with her finger. "Aww, did you get rejected? Or maybe..."

"I didn't get rejected. Just pissed off at our poor excuse of a teacher." He grumbled, glaring away, not wanting his precious swan to see his murderous glare.

Luffy frowned, tilting his head slightly. "Zoro's not bad, Sanji." The boy's face lit up as he started reciting the many reasons as to why he looked up to the man. "He's cool and smart. I know he's like, super strong from what Ace tells me about him."

He snorted. "He ain't that strong." _I'll plow his face into the floor next time we spar._

The straw hat leaned forward, his eyes sparkling. "Yeah, he is! He's totally awesome!"

Nami giggled, reaching for her bag. "You seem so excited."

"Luffy's always excited."

She smirked, pulling out her camera. "I'm talking about _you_, Sanji." She laughed as she took a picture and his face twisted into something close to horror. "That's a great face."

"Nami-swan, why do you tease me so with your weird jokes?"

Smiling down at the screen, she answered without looking up. "It's not a joke. Usually you don't take much interest with anything that doesn't have breasts. But Zoro seems to make you react even more than some of your past flings. It's pretty funny how close you two are."

"_We _are not _close_." _Anything but..._

She grinned. "Then why is it you don't talk about anything else anymore, except for him?"

Usopp nodded, crossing his arms. "You've become almost obsessed with our , it's kinda weird considering it's you."

Luffy snickered. "You're acting like Ace did when he first met Smoker."

...

"Owww, Sanji. Why'd you hit me?"

He inhaled his cigarette, and blew out the smoke. "Be grateful you're still breathing." _There's no way that what I feel towards the moss head is the same as Ace's feelings toward Smoker. I won't accept it._

Luffy shrugged, forgetting the whole thing and grinned. "Ohhh, did I tell ya guys? Ace and Smokey _totally _got back together." (A/N: Next Chapter will tell all)

"Really? That's great."

"Yeah, how'd it happen?"

"I don't know, but I haven't seen my brother so happy in _forever_! We already moved back in with Smokey."

"...Really? Isn't that weird for you?"

The straw hat boy shook his head, still smiling. "Nah, just hope Smokey goes easy on Ace when they play."

He blinked, confused. "What do you mean _play_?"

The boy frowned, obviously unsure. "Well, last time we lived there, Ace and Smokey would be up all night banging into stuff and making weird noises. I tried to find out what they were playing, but the doors were usually locked or they'd get mad and scream at me through the door." The boy hummed, crossing his arms and tilting his head. "I wonder what they were doing?"

Usopp blushed, Nami slapped her forehead.

He groaned. _How clueless can you get?_

oOoOoOoO

_Who the hell am I gonna hang out with now?_

He was glad when he heard that his best friend and his ex got back together, it was nice to see the man so happy. He was pretty sure though that Ace was now cooped up in Smoker's office_ 'making up' _now, and probably wouldn't see him at all for the rest of the day.

He sighed, eyes scanning the empty gym. He chuckled to himself, reaching down for his case. _I wonder if Ace is going to be able to work tomorrow..._

_Now, what the hell do I do about Sanji?_

The boy had done nothing but steer clear of him, glaring. Trying to appear smaller in his seat, wouldn't meet his eyes either. He didn't know what he did to the blonde, but it must've been bad. He blushed, eyes widening. _Did I say anything?_

He almost dropped his case at the next thought that coursed through his mind. _Oh, shit. Did I _do _something?_

oOoOoOoO

_How am I supposed to hang around Zoro if I gotta worry about being grabbed on?_

"Sanji."

_Hmmm, well I guess I'll be fine as long as I'm not around when he's literally drunk-stupid._

"Sanji."

_Maybe Nami swan's right, maybe I'm overreacting to this...I mean, it was just a kiss. It probably didn't mean anything._

"Hey."

He frowned when his chest tightened slightly. _Why the fuck does that not sit well with me? Damn, shitty-marimo for mes_-"Oww! What the fuck's that for, you shitty old geezer?"

"That's what I should be asking _you_." Zeff scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest with a confused stare on his face."What the hell's wrong with you, beansprout? That's the fifth time you've just froze and started muttering to yourself. It's kinda making me worried about your sanity."

Blushing when he realized that his inner turmoil was apparently physically noticeable, he snorted and turned back to the last thing he was working on. _Shit, table 6's order is probably cold now._ He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Sorry, I'll comp their order and make whatever they want."

Zeff frown deepened, then glanced away. "Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. You're obviously too distracted to be here. You're messing with the customers orders and I can't have that."

"I don't-" He stopped, thinking about what the man said_. I'm too distracted. I need to get out of here._ He sighed, admitting defeat. "Yeah, it's probably for the best. I'll see you tomorrow, old man. You gonna be okay without me?"

The man snorted before kicking him in the side. "Just get outta my kitchen and get whatever's stuck in that puny mind of yours settled."

He ignored the laughing coming from Carne and Patty.

_I need to put myself out of my misery and fucking kill Zoro._

oOoOoOoO

_451...452...453...Damn, Sanji's probably gonna come up in here and try to kill me. Who knows, I probably deserve it...even if I don't know what I did. But the way he's been acting probably means that I did something._

_465...466..._He set down the weight and ran a hand through his sweat drenched hair. _What the hell did i do?_

Thanks to Mihawk, he had come to terms with his feelings for the blond and it pissed him off to no end. He cared about the brat more than he should, and yet he couldn't do anything about it.

They fought all the time, they argued...but, he felt like he finally found someone who had connected with him. With Saga it was just that 'first love' shit everyone goes through, and he learned his lesson about caring about someone who was too nonchalant when it came to relationships.

He still remembered the last thing that man said to him when he broke it off.

_"We had loads of fun, yeah? It's just...it was just sex."_

He snorted, remembering Sanji had said pretty much the same thing. _He's gonna break a lot of hearts...probably has already. Prick._ Well, there's nothing he could do about it, but ignore the lingering attachment and leave the brat alone.

The sound of tires screeching over his driveway caught his attention. He glanced over at the clock and noticed it was too early to be Sanji's ride. _Maybe Ace finally got outta Smokers bed...hell, they probably didn't even make it that far._

_Wonder how they got back together anyway..._He shrugged, knowing the man would eventually tell him. Ace was never good at keeping secrets.

He could hear his front door being slammed open, heavy footsteps sounding from the hallway. _Is someone...seriously breaking in here? _

He could hear the person throwing open all the doors, obviously searching for something. He grabbed Wado's sheath and quietly made his way to the wall by the door, waiting for whoever it was in his house to come in. Body tense, hand grasping the hilt of his blade, prepared to strike.

As the door flung open, he swung, ready for the blade to connect...

A black boot connected with the edge of his sword, stopping the full force of his attack. He blinked, confused. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Sanji snorted, pushing his blade further back. "You attack me and that's your first question?"

He pulled Wado back, sheathing the blade as he continued to stare at the boy. "Well, all I heard was someone breaking down all my doors...which they better still be intact. What the hell would you do?" _He looks like he's about to kick me again..._

"Whatever, now..." Sanji reared back and kicked out again, surprising him as it connected with his side. "...That's for being a dick."

Falling to one knee, his arms circling around his waist, he felt like he just coughed up one of his lungs. He tried to catch his breath. "What the fuck...was that for, you curlybrowed prick." Sanji crouched down by his head, and simply stared. He groaned, sitting up and leaned against the wall. "I'll let that go...because I have a feeling that even though I don't know what I did to you, I owe you an apology."

Sanji sat down next to him, now looking away from him. "Hell yeah you owe me a fucking apology, you shitty swordsman. Thanks to you, I got sent home 'cause I was too distracted."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I know I was really drunk last night...could you.." _Great, now _my _face's hot._ "...did I hurt you last night? Say anything...weird." _Damn it! I sound fucking pathetic. _"Or...do...anything?"

_Great, he's fucking blushing. Just what I needed. To find out I did something weird to my student and can't even fucking remember it._

...

_Nothing could make this any more awkward..._Sanji sat on his steps before him, arms hanging loosely over his knees, refusing to look at him. He stood behind him, staring shocked down at the boy, face flaming.

_Oh...shit. Ace said something like this would happen to me one day...I didn't think he was serious. What the hell am I supposed to do about this._

Scratching the back of his head, he could only think of one thing to say. "Yeah...sorry. I don't normally...get that bad." Sanji glared over his shoulder, obviously not impressed so far with the apology. He groaned, his mind not coming up with anything that could make this go away. "Shit, I can't do apologies. Just hit me until you feel like we're even. I really don't want to have to watch my back _waiting _for you to kill me."

Sanji threw his arms up, exasperated, stood up and stomped back into the house, muttering under his breath.

He blinked. _Did he call me a 'blockhead'? _Following the teen, he found him in the kitchen, furiously bringing out cooking supplies from thin air. "So-" Sanji threw something and hit him in the forehead. He managed to catch the object before it fell to the floor. "What the hell is this?"

Without looking back at him, the teen replied. "Grocery list."

Taking the paper, he scanned over the contents and frowned. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You really are stupid. Go to the fucking store and pick that shit up."

"You actually trust me to go pick up this stuff?" He glanced back down at the list. "I don't even know what half of this shit is."

Sanji sighed, picking up a knife and holding it up. _Is he threatening me? _"I want to fucking kick your sorry ass right now for trying that shit with me. There is no '_letting' _me kick your ass. I won't hit a fucking weakling who won't fight back."

He was ready to start protesting back at the 'weakling' comment, but Sanji cut him off.

"Go to the store, don't get lost, bring home the groceries and I'll call all this even." The boy glanced over his shoulder, still glaring. He waved the knife between them. "'This here. I thought about it and that..." Sanji shuddered. He snorted._ Overreacting much?._ "-Thing isn't that big a deal in retrospective. You were drunk. Just don't drink yourself so far gone that you can't even remember what happens the next day."

_Wait...this is too easy._

"What's the catch?"

"No catch. Just get the hell out and go get some food. I'll be inviting everyone over for dinner and I'll need some of that stuff."

_Damn it, I knew there was a catch. _

Sanji made a shooing motion with the knife. "Go away now, shitty mosshead. I got stuff to do."

_I'm being kicked out of my own damn house._

He decided though that this was probably the best outcome he could've hoped for, grabbed his keys and made his way back outside. Accepting the order in hopes for peace.

_It's a good thing that he doesn't suspect anything...our relationship is awkward enough as it is._

oOoOoOoO

(One hour later)

"Now, what's going on?" He asked, holding his phone to his ear with his shoulder. "Are you lost again?"

"No, I'm not fucking lost asshole. I'm getting weird looks from the store clerks and I don't know what the hell I'm looking for."

"Did you take you sword with you."

"...Yeah, so?"

"That's why you're being stared at, you idiot."

"That doesn't even make sense. What's Wado got to do with anything."

He groaned, slapping his forehead. _How clueless can ya get?_


	16. Extra 3 TheTruth FINALLY

A/N: Zero101- It's the chapter you've all been waiting for.

A/N: Sasuke14u~ I think the title of the chapter sums everything up. Enjoy! }:D

A/N: Zero101- Let's get this over with.

**Extra 3. The Truth...**_**FINALLY**_

(Three days earlier)

Sitting in front of Smoker's desk in his office, he stared at the man before him, agitated as hell that he still wouldn't let him explain what happened on the day in question.

He laid his chin on the desk and scoffed. _Stupid man, if he'd only let me-_

"What are you doing Portgus? Don't you have a class to teach?" Smoker asked, an unlit cigar perched between his lips. _He didn't even look up from his paperwork._

Snorting, he turned his head away. "Nope. Just thought I'd come visit my asshole of a lover." He smirked inwardly. _That got his attention._

The man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We're not lovers, Portgus-"

He shot up to his feet, slamming his hands on the desk. "Stop calling me that!" A wave of sadness was starting to seep through his blood, twisting his face from sudden rage, to utter despair. "Do you despise me so much that you can't even call me by my own name, all because of something you've heard?" Pushing himself away from Smoker's desk, he made his way to the door. "I don't know how much longer I can handle this, Smoker. You wouldn't let me explain what happened that day, so obviously you didn't have very high expectations when we started dating."

"That's no tr-"

"Shut up!" He barked, thrashing around to meet Smoker's eyes, not wanting to hear what the other had to say. "Don't you fucking lie to me." Reining in his anger, he turned back towards the door. "I shouldn't have to tear myself apart waiting for you to believe. Even I deserve better than that."

He made his way out the door, not wanting Smoker to see his tear stricken face.

oOoOoOoO

He slammed his fist on his desk. _Damn it! It shouldn't have to be like this._

Yes, he'd never given the man a chance to defend himself, never allowed the man a chance to give him some explanation as to what Tashigi saw that night. But he was hurt when he heard that Ace had left a bar with another man. Who wouldn't be? He wasn't in the right mind at the time to hear Ace's side.

But what about now?

Did he want to hear the rest?

He fell back into his seat, running a hand though his hair. _What the hell am I supposed to do?_

oOoOoOoO

When he finally made it home, he just wanted to go to bed and for once not think of Ace. He didn't expect to walk to the door and find it unlocked. Or that when he finally pushed it open, a blond man would be standing in his doorway with his arms crossed, looking completely at ease with the fact that he'd broken into someone else's home.

_You've got to be fucking kidding me. He even has the same tattoo as Ace._

"You Smoker?"

His spine stiffened. "Who the fuck are you?"

The man snorted and held back a smile. "Yeah, you're definitely him. He always said you were quick to piss off. That it was 'half the fun' yoi.."

Slowly he set down his bag without taking his eyes from the towering male, not caring about who the guy was talking about. "Most people _would_ be fucking pissed off after finding some asshole in their house. Now get the hell out before I decide that I don't want to be a nice guy and let you leave without a few broken limbs."

_I'll kick your ass anyway._

"Sorry, man. Got to do my buddy this favor. You see-" Running a hand through his hair, he added, almost sounding embarrassed. "-you've got to come with me to clear something up."

His anger rising, he barked. "I don't have to do shit for someone that broke into my house!" He stomped up, ready to attack the man out of sheer frustration.

He didn't expect a gun to suddenly be pointed at his face.

_Ohhh fuck._

The man's face lost all trace of humor. "I need you to make something right." The blond motioned towards the door with the muzzle of the gun. "Now, if you'd step outside. We're going for a ride, yoi."

...

oOoOoOoO

? POV

_Damn it. Why the hell does Ace date the big, serious type. I really didn't want to be the bad guy here. Just wanted to help a buddy out._

He sighed as he made sure Smoker got in the passenger side, looking like he was ready to just attack at any moment, gun or no gun.

Sweat started to dot his forehead. _He's going to be really pissed when he realizes that it's a toy._

oOoOoOoO

_How in the hell did this happen? I'm a pretty big guy, how did I let myself get kowtowed into some freak's car?! This is bullshit! _He glanced over at the blond man, noticing that he still had the gun in his lap. _Okay, he said I pissed off someone he knows...let's see-_

_...There was the store clerk..._

_...Some brat's mom..._

_...Uh, the neighbor..._

_...Did I piss off some mob boss and not remember?_

Eyes forward, he glared out the window, watching as they passed through downtown. _Fuck, Ace was right. I make enemies too easily._

"You know, I've heard about ya. He tried to introduce us, but you didn't have time." The man actually smiled. _Is he fucking serious? _"You seem as angry as the picture let's on. Maybe you should try smiling?"

"Maybe you should take me back home and go fuck yourself? Where are we going and who the hell are you?" He growled, hands clenching at his sides. "Why the hell did you come after me?"

The blond sighed. "I guess it makes sense to tell ya. Marco Nix, I'm the guy who Ace was with the night before you kicked him out of your house, yoi."

"You ruined my life, you son of a b-" He was forced back when Marco brought the gun back into play, pointing it at his head. "Damn it, why don't you put up that damn gun and fucking fight me?" He growled, hating every fiber of the blonde's being.

_He took Ace away..._

The man groaned, finally pulling to a stop outside of what looked like a bar. Marco didn't even turn towards him as he made his way out of the car. "Come on." He didn't make any move to get out of the car. Marco ran a hand through his hair, running out of patience. "Listen, please come on. We need to talk, yoi."

"I have nothing to say to you." He was done, he just wanted to go home and maybe try to get his life back in order.

No shitty relationship problems...

No blonds breaking into his house...

No kidnapping.

Marco shrugged. "Fine, stay out here then." The blond turned to leave. "I'll just go hang out with Ace then,-" _Ace is in there? _"-since you're obviously too busy to fix your relationship with him. Maybe he'll finally get over you and go find someone else, since you just don't seem to care enough about him to do anything."

oOoOoOoO

Marco's POV

_Come on, damn it. I can't handle seeing Ace like this all the time anymore. _

He didn't have to wait long before he heard his passenger door open and slam shut. The sound of heavy footfalls closing in behind him.

Smoker stood beside him. "I want to hear what excuses you two come up with."

He almost started yelling at the man for his attitude, but he could see the underlining fear behind Smoker's eyes. He was truly worried on how this was all going to turn out. Smoker was truly afraid that Ace was unfaithful...or that he was wrong about everything and all this heartache was just a mistake.

_He wants Ace back...but he can't live with the uncertainty. A self-conscious tough guy._ He sighed._ Great._

oOoOoOoO

"Ace, maybe it's time I cut you off."

"Wahh? Why?" He whined, lifting his head off the bar. He stared at Furi in disbelief that she'd really stop giving him booze just because he was a little drunk. She was a beautiful woman. Tall and lean, with long red hair and bright blue eyes. Furi would've been the type of women he'd be into if he was straight. She didn't take shit from anyone and he respected the hell out of her for it.

She frowned, not impressed. "You're smashed."

"No I'm...not?" _Oh god, the room's spinning_. His forehead collided with the bar with a loud smack. "Okay...you're right. Ughh, what happened...to my buzz? I feel sick."

Furi snorted, crossing her arms. "You passed that when you started doing double shots halfway through your splurge."

"You're so mean." He muttered, hoping the world would stop. "I feel like shit."

"You probably do with as much Jager and tequila you've drank. I'll be expecting a decent tip."

He finally managed to lift his head up without the room tilting and glanced around, eyes squinting against the lights. "Where's Marco? Wasn't he here, like, five minutes ago?"

"It's been over an hour."

"Really? Huh, I'll hang out until he gets here." He laid back down, frowning. "Ain't like I got anybody to do now, anymore..."

"Don't you mean any_thing_?"

He blinked, then let out a snorted laugh when he realized his mistake. "Sure." _Not like anybody's waiting for me at home. Luffy's with Sanji at Zoro's place..._

_And Smoker's not waiting for me anymore..._He snorted. _I'm surprised he hasn't accused me of sleeping with Zoro._

He sat back up, feeling like he was going to cry.

_It wasn't supposed to be like this. If he'd only give me a cha-_

"Ace, how much did you drink, yoi?" Marco shouted across the room.

He grinned, swinging around in his seat. "Yo, Marc-" He grin dropped when he noticed Smoker's sharp gaze focused on him. He really didn't want to have some sort of intervention, which to him seemed like Marco's plan.

_Damn, I just wanted to get wasted and pass out here on the bar. Was that so much to ask?_

Marco pushed Smoker down in the seat next to him. Still staring wide eyed at his former lover, he wondered how his friend could do this. This was only going to make the man even more _pissed _at him.

oOoOoOoO

_This has to be hell._

There sat Ace, obviously drunk out of his mind, laughing with the female bartender leaning over the bar. When Marco shouted, the smile on the black haired man's face grew as he spun around in his seat to greet the man, only to stop dead when he noticed him. It hurt seeing how fast Ace's mood dropped from happy to nothing after seeing him.

_This is going to be a disaster._

Marco stood, glancing between them with his hands on his hips. "Now, we're going to act like grown ups and talk about what's goin' on, yoi. 'Cause I'm tired of _him_-" The man pointed at Ace. "-being here all the time just to get drunk off his ass enough to forget about _you_." He pointed at Smoker. "This is just pathetic, yoi."

Ace snorted, reaching for his glass. "Not my fault." He motioned for the bartender. "Furi, can I get another one? If this is going to happen, then I need to be drunker." The man grinned as the woman begrudgingly poured him another shot. "Thanks."

He glanced over at Marco, waiting for the man to start talking. "Well?"

The blond blinked, frowning. "Oh, yeah." The man pushed against Ace's shoulder. "You want to start talking or should I, yoi?"

Ace snorted, standing up with his glass in hand. "To hell with it, I'm not going to try and defend myself again. I'm gonna get some fresh air and wait this out." The man waved and made his way towards the door. Ace didn't even bother to look at him when he left.

_I probably deserve that..._

Marco took the empty seat and faced him. "I guess I got to do the talkin' since he's being a baby. Let's get right to the chase then..." The man gestured for the bartender to come around the bar to stand beside him. "First things first. This is Furi. Furi, this is Smoker. I believe you've heard of him?"

Furi glared at him, clearly unhappy about being pulled into this. "Yeah, Ace talks about you a lot...still does even though it isn't the most flattering. Can't say I blame him though, for the way you threw him out."

"Hey, _he _betrayed _me_. It's his own fault." He barked, defending himself. "Now tell me what the hell is going on? And why do you have the same tattoo as Ace?" He demanded, looking back down at the red cross across his chest, the same mark that covered Ace's back.

The man grinned as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one in his mouth. "We used to be in a gang way back. This was the mark we all wore in respect of our leader." Marco sighed, leaning back in his seat.

He remembered early on in their relationship, Ace mentioned that he was in some sort of gang in his high school/college days. He wasn't too sure if he still kept in touch with his old crew or not. Or why Ace wasn't still with them.

_What else don't I know?_

"Now back to the story. Well, obviously someone saw me and Ace walking...probably more like staggering, to the motel next door and told you that he was having some sort of affair with me." When he made no move to speak, Marco continued. "It's kinda sad, I've actually been trying to meet you for awhile now. I wanted to see the guy that captured Ace."

He felt his face starting to get hot. _What the hell is he blathering about_. "Are you saying nothing happened? My source wouldn't lie to me."

Marco waved him off. "I'm not calling your friend a liar, I'm just saying that whoever it was mistook what they saw."

Temper flaring, he asked. "That you two were 'all over each other' and stumbling towards the motel next door? It's hard to mistake something like that." He shuffled in his seat, scanning over the room to see if Ace had come back in. He frowned. _Is he seriously hanging around outside?_ _It's barely 50 degrees._ "Did he really go outside?"

The blond must have been confused, because he just stared at him for a few seconds before grinning. "Yeah, he likes the cold. Something about his body being naturally warmer than average."

_Is that why the house was always freezing?_ He remembered coming home early one time, before Ace had started working at the school, and it being freezing cold.

_He may have said something like that..._

"He'll be fine." Marco turned back to him. "I could go on and make this an extremely detailed story, but I don't want Ace out there too long. The motel next door, that's mine, yoi. I actually stay there most of the time."

_Great...he owns the building where he could have _anyone _in _any _of the rooms._

He looped an arm around Furi. "Furi owns the bar."

He was usually a man who could catch on pretty quickly to a situation, but he must've been really tired because he still didn't know where Marco was going with. "So?"

Marco slapped his forehead, groaning. "He said you were smart. Ace was here celebrating mine and Furi's three year anniversary."

...

...

_What?_

_Anniversary?_

Furi frowned, taking in the distress he must have been showing. "We even told Ace to invite you, but you said you were too busy with planning the upcoming school festival."

Horror slowly dawned on him, remembering Ace had mentioned that his friends were having a get together for their three years of not killing each other. The festival was actually an excuse not to go, not really wanting to be in a room full of people that he didn't know.

_Was that the night?_

_All this happened...because I was careless?_

The woman sighed, continuing for her husband. "Marco drank too much so I asked Ace to take him over. Then Ace ended up staying the night to watch over him." She sent a small glare over at Marco, who simply grinned. She turned back over to him. "We didn't think anything like this would happen. If I knew, I would've told him to go on home."

_This...can't be right. All this bullshit is my fault? I put Ace through all this nonsense because I'm...insecure? This just..._

Marco smacked his shoulder. "I can see that you're going through some emotional turmoil in your head right now, which you totally deserve, but you may want to go make up with Ace. He may have actually give up on you. And, surprisingly, I don't want that to happen. He was really happy with you, and I want that back for him."

Furi shoved him off the seat. "Now get the fuck outta my bar and fix this shit. I want the sober Ace back."

Stumbling forward, it took him a moment to assess the situation before he practically mowed over anyone that was in his way of the door. Sheer relief that Ace didn't betray him drove him forward. The only thing that concerned him now was whether the man wanted him anymore for his idiocy.

_He better not've passed out._

Ace was coming home now, whether the man wanted to or not.

oOoOoOoO

Marco's POV

He wrapped his arm around his wife and placed a soft kiss to her temple. "You think he can handle this? We pretty much had to hold his hand through the whole thing, yoi."

Furi laughed, leaning against his side. "People are stupid when they love someone. They get too self-consious and sensitive over the littlest shit. They should be fine, Ace will forgive him after kicking his ass for awhile."

He snorted. He'll have Smoker on his knees for more than one reason before the night is over.

"I got to get back to work, you hanging out here?" She asked, making her away around the bar. He stretched, feeling something jangle in his pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out the gun. She glared. "Is that my water gun?"

"...Maybe."

oOoOoOoO

"What the fuck are you doing?! Let me outta this car right now! I'll kick your ass for this, you hear me?" He was pissed. Of course anyone would be if some man suddenly grabbed you and threw you into his car, speeding away to nowhere. He didn't even care that it was Smoker that manhandled him. He was ticked off that the man dared to do it. "What the hell's gotten into you?!"

"We're going home."

He leaned over the seat, getting right in Smoker's ear. "You already said that! Pull the fuck over." The grey hair ignored him. He sighed, crossed his arms and fell back into his seat. "I guess you finally got your head outta your ass."

He got his answer when the man stopped at the light.

Smoker reached over the seat and grabbed the back of his head. Pulling him over, he kissed him with all the pent up emotions he'd been feeling.

But he wasn't giving in just yet.

He was still pissed off.

Smoker jerked back when he sparked his lighter against his arm. "Shit!"

He tsked at the man. "I'm not just gonna jump back into your bed after all the bullshit you've put me through, dipshit."

"Listen, I know I was an ass-"

"Yes, you were and you still are. If you'd just let me explain like I tried to do, this whole mess coulda been avoided. No, instead you had to go and be a douchbag." He leaned back against the seat as Smoker was forced to continue driving. "Tell me why I should forgive you...'cause me forgiving you instantly sounds too cheesy for me and it's been done too often. I gotta at least kick your ass. That'll make me feel _really _good."

_It's a shame that I'm nearly desperate enough to accept any reason._ He wasn't going to say that out loud though, he didn't want to give Smoker that much satisfaction of knowing how much he wanted him back. _At least give me a _decent _reason._

oOoOoOoO

Thoughts of what he wanted to tell Ace coursed through his mind, making him blush by most of them being mushy and sappy. He didn't know how he could say what he wanted without sounding like a complete idiot.

Ace snickered. "Having a hard time? You're making that face you usually make when you're thinking too hard about something. It's pretty funny. Not mention that you're face is red, which is also funny."

He exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding and relaxed, happy that Ace was at least acting a little like his old self. Never one to miss the chance to laugh at him. He opened his mouth to speak, hoping everything he was feeling would just flow out...

...nothing came out...

...it's never that fucking easy.

_Damn it all to hell! It shouldn't be this hard._

His maybe lover laughed. "Don't strain yourself too hard there, Smokey." After calming down, the man said softly. "Just take me home..."

He stared at Ace, his hopes rising.

"...So I can kick your ass..."

_Damn it._

Ace smirked. "...And if I'm feeling good afterwards, fuck the livin' hell outta ya." _Oh...shit._ Just that one comment sent all his blood south. _He can beat me if he wasnts to as long as he keeps talking like _that_._ Ace's smirk only grew at the reaction. "I see you like that plan. Masochistic bastard."

"Only for you."

...

(Outside his house)

He didn't think Ace was serious when he said that he wanted to kick his ass...apparently he should never doubt the man of anything he says he's going to do. As soon as the two had parked and stepped out of his car, the man had strutted up to him as if to ravish him, that lusty gleam in his eyes...

...and then Ace's fist collided with his jaw, effortlessly knocking him to the ground. He never liked fighting the man; not because of his love for him, but for the fact that Ace fought dirty when he was pissed.

He didn't have time to think about a way to calm the man before he had to dodge the oncoming kick to his side.

"Damn it, Ace. Couldn't you wait until we're inside"

Ace paused, confused. "Want me to start breaking shit in your house? I happen to like what you got." The man reared his leg back for another kick, but he was ready for it this time.

Crouched on the ground, he managed to catch Ace's leg, holding it tight in the bend of his arm. He smirked. He always thought Ace was sexy when he was fighting, all the strength packed into his usually lazy body. "Do I have to _force _you to submit?"

A growl fell through the man's lips, a sultry smile lighting his face. "Maybe. No, let the fuck go and fight me."

"Who's the masochist now, Portgus."

The two continued to fight as if their lives depended on it, but for all he cared, it did. He needed to have his lover back or he'd lose his mind. So if he was going to win this, he'd just have to fight as dirty as Ace.

Blood sprayed the air as his fist caught Ace's nose, probably making the man see stars as he stumbled back. He plowed the man into his door, pinning him in place with his body.

Sighing internally, he relished the feel of the other man pressed against him. I _Wonder if he'll get mad or not when he feels my dick pressing against his stomach. Not like I can hide it, pressed on him like this._

Ace groaned, glaring up at him. "I thought we agreed on no face shots."

"You punched my jaw out."

The freckled man snorted, turning his nose away. "You deserved that, asshole. Now back off. I'm not done yet."

Leaning forward, he nipped Ace's ear, earning a sharp intake of breath. "You sure you don't want to take this-" He pushed his hips harder against Ace, feeling the man's hard on pressing against his thigh. "-instead? Or are you still wanting to fight?"

"You fucker." Ace growled, threading his fingers through his hair, roughly pulling on the strands. "You're not playing fair."

He snorted, grabbing at Ace's hips. "You never play free, Portgus. Now, you wanna do this or not."

"You're such a sweet talker, Smoker. If you're gonna start something, you may want to warn your audience." Ace waved over his shoulder, grinning. "Hey, Ms. Watson. How're you this morning?!"

_Shit_. Grabbing Ace and unlocking the door, he pushed the man in and slammed the door shut, his face flaming at being seen by his elderly neighbor. While Ace laughed his ass off at his embarrassment.

He glared up at the man, seething. "You could've said something sooner, you bitch."

"Bitch? Really, we're running outta names, aren't we?"

He jerked the man back into his arms, holding him close as he buried his face in Ace's neck, taking in the scent of the man he missed so much. "Hey, you know...I'm going to make up everything...right?"

Ace probably smiled as he wrapped his arms loosely around his shoulders, patting his back. "I know you will, cause I'm going to remind you everyday who I'm with." _Fuuuuck. _"What're you gonna do, now?"

"Debating whether I'm going to fuck your into the floor..." He kissed Ace's neck." "...or the table..." Nipped his ear. "...or take it nice and slow in our bed." He finished, kissing the man's lips, leaving Ace breathless by the time he pulled back. "What do you say?"

Ace was flushed, but he still had enough nerve to smirk up at him. "I want the bed, but fuck _nice _and _slow_. I want it fucking now."

It didn't take anymore words for him to lift Ace over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carry him to his room, ignoring the protest about being able to walk just fine. He had shit he needed to do and he wasn't going to let the man find a way to stall this any longer.

_You're ass is mine, Ace._

oOoOoOoO

The next morning

"Damn it, Smokey. How the hell am I supposed to teach class like this?" He moaned, his voice muffled from being buried in the pillows. His face burning from all the places he ached.

Smoker chuckled, pulling a draw from his cigar, his hair sexily messed up from sleep...or pulling. "You asked for it."

He smiled up at his lover. "You must've been backed up, considering how fast the first time ended."

The grey haired man flushed, nearly dropping his cigar. "Look who's talking. You came without me even touching your dick." That got his face flaming again. He buried his face back in his pillow, a barely audio 'Whatever' following after. Smoker gently stroked his back. "You going to be able to work or should I call you in?"

Forcing himself from his claimed spot, he moaned as his back popped in several places. "Should be fine after I walk this off a lil'. I bet you're feeling pretty satisfied with this, aren't you."

"Fuck yeah, I am."

He laughed, feeling truly content for the first time in these stressful weeks. "You dick. I'll get ya back for this."

Smoker stood from the bed, stretching his arms over his head, not caring that he was staring. "Can't wait for it. Now you want to join me for a shower or not?"

_Damn it, getting me worked up this early in the morning._

He smirked, standing, albeit unsteadily, from the bed. "You know it."

Everything was finally back to normal with them...even though he'll probably hit Smoker randomly to keep him on his toes.

_I may have to stop by his office later for a _private _conference._


	17. Hell's Festival Part 1

A/N: Sasuke14u~ New chapter, GO!

**Chapter 14. Hell's Festival**

It was finally November and the whole school was buzzing about the upcoming school festival next week, his class especially so because they had the spastic trio (Luffy, Usopp and Sanji). Between the three of them, he had a feeling that he would never forget what would occur.

_How the hell does Luffy think we can incorporate a zip line to the cafeteria?_

He sighed, seeing how he wasn't going to be able to teach anything, he may as well ask what his students wanted. "Okay, everyone knows the school festival is next weekend. So what exactly do you want to do for the class?" Sanji raised his hand first, surprising him. "Yes, Sanji?"

"Sexy Cafe!"

...

_Should've expected that._

Girls threw paper balls at the blond, calling him a pervert.

_Serves him right._

"Okay, any _other _ideas?"

The students didn't even bother raising their hands, simply shouting their decisions. From doing a paintball event to an all-you-can-eat competition, and even going back to the cafe idea (without the perverted intent). He started writing down the appropriate suggestions on the board.

"Okay. We got a cosplay cafe, something about host's..." _Wait, isn't that the same as the cosplay thing? _"...a food stand and a haunted house. Vote for the one you want the most and I'll go run it by the principal."

He wasn't surprised when the students voted for the Haunted House. _Everyone wants an excuse to wear weird ass costumes._

"Alright. Looks like we're going with the haunted house thing. I'll be hanging out here after school all week so if anyone wants to stay and help with the construction and costume making, just come find me and I'll assign you to your place. I'll help anyway I can, but this is your project, so take it seriously if you're going to be involved."

His voice was lost as his students started conversing with one another to figure out how they wanted the house to be run. He was surprised by how excited Sanji seemed to be, talking animatedly with his friends.

_Of course. He still gets to see girls dressed up in costumes. There's no hope for him._

oOoOoOoO

(On the roof of the School, lunch time)

"What should I be?! A ninja! No wait, a space fighter! No...a _pirate_! Yes that would be totally awesome! I'll be the captain and we can be the straw hat pirates! What do ya say Usopp, wanna be part of my crew?" Luffy, jumping in his seat in excitement, asked their long nosed friend.

Usopp grinned, his hand cupping his chin in thought. "Only if I get to be captain. The Usopp Pirates!"

"No, I'm captain!"

"No, I am!"

The two continued to bicker with themselves, while Sanji and Nami sat together across from them. She laughed. "Maybe it's a good thing I'm not in your class, if pirates are going to be the main theme of a haunted house. I'm surprised your teacher's okay with it. How'd you convince Zoro to dress up?"

He chuckled, breathing in smoke from his cigarette. "It's a secret."

Things we're still a little weird between him and Zoro since the man's drunken kiss, but he was handling it okay. Better than okay. Though his teacher seemed to be giving him as much space as possible.

_Makes sense, I guess._

Nami leaned forward, a strange smile on her face. "So, why hasn't Zoro looked at you these past four days?" Laughing when he sputtered over his cigarette, she pried further. "And why haven't you even tried to start a fight with him? Anything weird happen between you two?"

Blushing, he turned away. "Nothing really. Just got into a fight and I'm still pissed off." Which wasn't a total lie. They did get into a fight over it, he just wasn't really mad about it anymore. In retrospect it wasn't a big deal when he thought about it. The man was wasted and half asleep.

"You wouldn't be blushing like that if it was just a fight."

"I'm not blushing, Nami-swan."

"Zoro must've really gotten to you."

A random thought went through his mind. _If Zoro's going to hang out here all day, what the hell am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to get to work if we ride together? Shit, he probably hadn't even thought about that. I better go find him._

He snorted. "He wishes." Standing up, he made his way to the door. "I'm heading back early, see ya later guys."

"Bye Sanji! Bring food tomorrow!" Luffy shouted from his perch on top of their cowardly friend.

"Luffy, get off me!"

The boy crossed his arms, grinning. "Not until you say that I'm captain!"

oOoOoOoO

The week flew by with relative ease. Minimal injuries occurred during the making of the haunted house, though damages to property was another story (thanks to Luffy).

Leaning against the far wall of his classroom, watching his students finish the final preparations on their props, he was relieved that he didn't have to do this again until next year.

_I should bring Chopper to this thing. He'd probably have a blast._

"What're you smiling about?" Sanji asked, paint smeared on his face. Probably because of Usopp's 'paint bomb'...or was it 'paint stars'? "It's kinda creepy to see you so relaxed."

He snorted, shifting his feet. "Just glad that this is only once a year."

The blond stared at him for a moment, then a dark smile spread up his face. "We got another one in spring, you moron."

"Are you serious?! Why the he...what for?"

Sanji shrugged. "Not sure. Now get off your ass and help put this shit up." He crouched back down to finish painting what looked like a ghost...but it could've been a melted marshmallow for all he knew. The kid was an artist in the kitchen...not so much with paint.

_Why is it wrong for teachers to curse again?_

"Probably should've had Usopp do all the painting." He muttered to himself, helping Sanji lift up the plywood wall that split the room. "I still don't see why _I _have to dress up for this. Isn't this supposed to be the students project?"

"Because you owe me, shithead."

He glowered, thinking about all the different ways he could silence the teen with just the flick of his wrist if he wanted to. Sanji was never going to let him forget his drunken mishap. He had to make sure not to drink around the kid in the future, considering his feelings for him.

Which Mihawk also wouldn't let him forget either. And now the man had Shanks bugging him as well. The redhead was a lot more lighthearted about the situation, though he was the principal and Sanji was a student.

He suddenly blushed. _Shanks even gave us his fucking blessing._

"Be happy that your costume is cool. You know how hard it was to find a wig with your hair color?" The blond laughed lightheartedly, obviously thinking about the face he made when he saw the outfit.

He scowled, not amused as he supported the wall for Sanji to bolt it to the floor. _Ohh...if you weren't at school, I'd be kicking your sorry ass. _Hey, he might have feelings for the kid...but that didn't stop him from wanting to harm the brat. At least Sanji can give him a decent challenge.

oOoOoOoO

Ace's POV

He was pretty proud of the students work on the festival stands, the designs, the advertisements. He had to give them their props, so he asked Shanks and Mihawk if they could have a free day in the gym on Friday. Maybe a teacher vs. student competition, snacks, the works.

Shanks was all for it, Mihawk was wondering why the students needed a free day at all when they had a festival the next day? The red head merely pushed the man to the side and agreed to allow the students and teachers the day off for all their hard work.

Now, he and Smoker were pulling all of the chairs from the cafeteria into the gym and placing them against the wall. He didn't care that after the 49th chair was down that his back was killing him, or that the other continued to complain about being the one chosen to help. He was just happy to have the man with him.

The two had been, needless to say 'busy', rekindling their relationship and now were both back to where they were; Still pissing each other off just to make up later. Poor Luffy was so confused about the random 'Go stay with a friend' suggestions, but thank fuck the boy was all about it anyway.

He snickered when Smoker stumbled over his newly placed chair. "Would you quit your bitching already? That was the last chair." The older man straightened, and even he had to flinch at the loud popping sound that followed. "You getting old on me, Smokey?"

Smoker snorted, a small blush dusting his cheeks. "I'm not too old to kick your ass, Ace"

He smirked, sitting down with one knee over the other, his arms resting on the chair on each side of him. "I know that baby and I love that about ya. Just know that I'll kick your twice as hard."

_It's weird that this is a form of foreplay...maybe we should vacate to his office._

He stared at Smoker's ass as he fixed the chair he knocked over. _I need to have an office for this kind of shit._

oOoOoOoO

He was lying face front on the couch.

_Damn it, why does Sanji have to try and show me up on everything? My legs are killing me._

After all of the challenges that the blond made him participate in today, he didn't know what to do about tomorrow. He didn't even know what costume his students were making him wear yet.

_It better not be something girly or someone's gonna die._

Thank god for his buddy Chopper. He invited him over so they could ride together to the first day of the festival, and the little doctor was so excited about going. Chopper, sitting on his back, pushed his hands harder against Zoros calves, drawing a loud groan from him. "I'm glad you had fun today."

He snorted, voice muffled by his pillow. "Who said I had fun?"

"You gonna be okay there, Zoro? I know I pretty much wiped the floor with you today and I feel kinda bad about making an old man such as yourself play sports." Sanji taunted, with his condescending sarcasm.

"I'm only four years older than you. And I kicked your scrawny ass on half the games, so shut the hell up."

Chopper suddenly turned on his back so his knees pressed against the underside of his arms and patted his head. "Isn't your birthday on the last day of the festival?"

Sanji grinned. "Old man's getting older."

He pushed himself up on his elbows and threw a small glare over to his young friend. "I didn't want him to know, Chopper. And I'm not old, shitcook."

The blond shrugged his shoulder, still grinning. "Whatever you say gramps, now get your ass up. The food's ready, and I'll be pissed off if ya wait until it gets cold."

Chopper jumped up and ran to the kitchen, Sanji following close behind him. He rose up and frowned, concern bubbling in his gut. _Does he really think I'm that old. Man, if there was a chance of us getting together, its surely gone now._

He sighed, a wave of sadness washing over him that he despised.

...

Day One

He knew he was blushing, which definitely didn't help his so called 'murderous' look he was trying to go for. The pants he was forced to wear were black, the ends frayed at the bottom with tears going up the legs, his chest exposed, splashed with red paint, and a green wig that reached his waist and obscured his vision.

Shanks didn't allow him to carry his real sword (which was safely put away in the man's office), so the students opted with a paper-mache chainsaw with a built in speaker on the inside.

He held it up as a girl splashed more paint against his back. _I don't think I even know how to use a real- one of these..._He could still hear the muffled laughter from his students when he first tried on the wig. _I must not be so scary if they're still laughing at me. Oh well._

Carmen giggled as she and her two friends stepped back. She dressed as a witch, the others a cat and what he guessed was a spirit...or someone who just got out of a shower of red paint. "It looks great, if I say so myself." The other two agreed in sync.

_Creepy_. He cringed when the paint on his back started to run. _Ugh, I feel sticky._

Chopper beamed up at him, eyes glowing in awe. "You look so cool."

"What exactly am I supposed to be anyway?"

Usopp suddenly appeared, holding up a detail drawing of him and whatever he was supposed to be. "You're Zoro, the killer who wields a chainsaw that rips people to shreds! Not bad huh? If I do say so myself."

The little doctor crowded around the teen. "Awesome."

He shrugged, not really caring one way or another. "Whatever you say. Do I have to wear this all weekend?" He had a feeling he already knew his answer, and groaned when the boy nodded his head excitedly. "Fine."

The long nosed teen looked over at Carmen. "Nice effect with the scar, it wasn't even in the design."

"Scar's real, kid." He muttered, drawing the others attention.

Usopp blinked a few times, then gasped. "Really?! Someone tried to cut you in half?" _Shame he already knows the man. _Then fear crossed over his face. "Who did you piss off? Should we be concerned?"

Chopper giggled as he shook his head and patted the teen's curly hair. "Nothing to worry about."

Carmen turned his face back around. "Hold still, I got to apply eyeliner to make your eyes pop."

"Why? I only have one."

She frowned, finally seeing the problem. "Hmm, I guess there's really no point. Oh well, you look great anyway. Really scary."

He blew a stray lock of hair that fell in his face. "Hair's annoying."

Someone reached from behind him and actually pulled it off, causing the girls to freak out. "He doesn't need a wig, he's scary enough as it is without it."

As much as he hated the wig, he hated Sanji's sarcastic attitude just as much. He glared over his shoulder at the blond who was supposed to be one of his own victims, blood caking down his front, his patience running thin. "What the fuck do you know?"

Carmen and Usopp awed and clapped. "You're right, it does look better without the wig. Maybe we'll use it tomorrow though, cause I still like that look too." Chopper nodded, excited about the whole event.

_Damn it, I know they're plotting against me...but do they have to make it so obvious?_

Sanji grinned, shoving at his shoulders while avoiding the still drying paint. "Now go get in place, if you can make it there without getting lost."

"You're so lucky we're here and not at home, or I'd be mopping the floor with your face." He growled, making sure no one else could hear him. The little doctor followed behind, practically glowing in excitement.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, marimo. Now come on, we got to go to our spots."

"I'll make sure this stupid paper chainsaw cuts you up in half somehow."

Still pushing him forward, Sanji leaned over and said right in his ear, causing him to shiver. "I'd love to see you try."

_Damn it, it just had to be him that I'm going to be leaning over._

oOoOoOoO

_Zoro can be really scary when he wants to be...even with a fake chainsaw._

Sitting against the wall of the class, he nearly had to cover his ears when the next group of teenagers ran out of the haunted house, screaming about a murderer. As irrational as it was to believe, his teacher played a very convincing killer. Covered in blood and scars, Zoro was a scary looking bastard.

He was supposed to be Zoro's latest victim. His shirt torn in half with paint covering his chest and pants, blackening the denim. He was glad he didn't wear one of his suits for this.

_Maybe he's thinking about killing me later for putting him up to this..._

When the group left, Zoro walked over and crouched next to him, tapping the paper-mache weapon against his knee. "How you holding up?"

Straightening his back, he twisted his neck to get the feeling back. "I would kill for a cigarette break. You doing okay, Mr. Marimo Killer?"

He laughed when his teachers face twitched in irritation. Zoro plopped down in front of him. "You think we can escape for a bit and take a break? I'm starving." The man stiffened when Luffy, dressed as a pirate, charged through the room chasing after a group of little kids. "Really, fuck eating. I just want a moment of silence."

Standing up and brushing a few chips of paint off his arms, he tapped the others back. "I'm pretty sure we can take a break for a bit and enjoy the festival. I'll just go tell Coby we're takin' thirty."

He watched Zoro stretch his arms over his head, the muscles playing over the man's stomach and chest, and immediately felt himself blush.

_What the hell just happened?_

He was suddenly horrified as he made his way out of the room, passing a few ghosts and a poorly placed pumpkin.

_Was I just...checking him out? Oh, fuck no. I refuse to listen to Ace's twisted words of advice on this. I'm not gay and I'm not attracted to Zoro. That's just...insane!_

He must've looked terrifying when Coby saw him, because the poor pinkette screamed and hid behind Usopp, who was also shaking in fear.

They didn't have a problem with him and Zoro taking a break. He turned and accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry about that man."

The man smiled down at him, being a few inches taller. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties, with straight silver hair pulled back and what he guessed was a handsome face. "It's fine, I wasn't watching were I was going."

_He seems a little old to be here..._

The man looked over his head and his smile seemed to grow. "Zoro? Is that really you?"

He glanced over his shoulders, eyes widening at the obvious distress playing across Zoro's pale face. "Saga." There was a dark sense of agony in that one word that brought all of his attention to his teacher.

The man opened his arms. "Zoro, it's been years. I heard you worked here and believe me, I was shocked to hear that you became a teacher. Didn't think you we're the type to hang around with a lot of people." He laughed. "You were so shy back in college. Are these your students?"

He needed to get Zoro away now, seeing how much stress just being in the man's presence brought him.

The silver haired man took a step closer to them, making Zoro stiffen even further. "Don't I get a hug? Come on, we used to be so close."

Taking the best course of action, he grabbed Zoro's hand and started to drag him away. "Come on, teach, I wanna kick your ass at that laser tag thing outside." He blushed when Zoro squeezed his hand, starting to walk faster to keep up with him. "Maybe I should've suggested a food stall, I still don't want you to eat that crap you used to call food."

He could hear the man calling out Zoro's name, so he started to run with Zoro following behind, his hand still clutching tightly. Running up the stairs and dodging random students, he finally found an empty classroom to hide in.

Gasping for breath, he sat down in front of the door while Zoro took a spot next to him.

He pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. "Wanna tell me who that was?"

Zoro shook his head, remaining silent. "Don't worry about it. I'll handle it later."

"He said you were close, were you friends in college?"

The man gave a short bark of laughter. "I guess in a sense. We sort of had a bad falling out though." _He's shaking, what did Saga do to him? _"Can we just stay here for a bit? I still want a few minutes of peace and quiet."

_Something really bad must've happened between them to have Zoro run away. I need to talk to Ace and see what he knows._

He exhaled the smoke he was holding in his lungs. "Sure."

_I don't know why I want to...but I have a feeling I'm going to kick Saga's ass later._


	18. Hell's Festival Part 2

A/N: Zero101: Sorry about the long wait. My mom was on vacation all week and wanted to spend quality time together. Hopefully you'll enjoy the new chapter.

Sasuke14u~ Here you go!

**Chapter 15. Hell's Festival Part 2**

The rest of the day went without anymore encounters with his past lover, which he was grateful for.

He didn't have any problems with Saga, having gotten over him as time passed. He just didn't expect to see him today, the first day of the festival no less, and surprise him. He didn't have any hate towards Sage either, didn't want anything bad to happen to him (he never did want that to begin with). He just didn't want to see him.

Sanji had been giving him weird looks for the last few hours...though only when they weren't playing their killer/victim roles.

He had a feeling that this was going to end badly for him.

He just hoped it wouldn't affect what little relationship he had with Sanji.

oOoOoOoO

_Who the fuck does Saga whoever think he is, messing with Zoro like this?_

He didn't know why seeing the green haired man distressed him as much as it did, he just knew that he had to do something about it. He wanted his grumpy teacher back, not the 'nervous and cautious' Zoro.

He glanced around the classroom they were straightening up for tomorrow, spotting Zoro pushing up one of the walls that Luffy had knocked over earlier. The man had pretty much retreated into himself, not enjoying the event as much as he had at the beginning.

Sanji scowled at Zoro when he caught the mans attention, causing the others face to contort in confusion.

_That's right, you shitty marimo. I'll find out what's going on even if it kills you._

...

(Later that night)

Sanji came home later that night, finding Ace in his spot on the chair and a passed out Zoro on the couch, an empty bottle of whiskey in his hand.

Groaning, he dropped his bag on the floor and stood over his teacher. "Man, this Saga must've really messed you up, huh man?" He muttered, mainly to himself. He stared over at his gym coach, frowning. "How much did he drink?"

"Not enough." Ace snorted, drinking back a shot. The man moaned as he leaned back into the seat. "Man, he doesn't need this shit right now. Why couldn't that bastard just leave Zoro the fuck alone?"

Zoro sighed in his sleep. He would've rolled onto the floor if he hadn't managed to catch him, his arms wrapped awkwardly around Zoro's neck to keep him up. He decided something then.

He had to know what's going on, even if he had to sit down on the couch with his teacher's head in his lap, _still _snoring away.

Ace snickered. "Now ain't that sweet, I knew you cared for chibi. How could ya resist the 'oh so serious' but 'easily embarrassed' guy, with awesome green hair to boot?"

He wasn't blushing.

It was suddenly hot in the room. "Fuck off, old man. Tell me who Saga is and why Zoro's acting so weird about him."

The man appeared thoughtful as he tapped his glass with his fingers, thinking over his words carefully. "Sorry, Sanji. It isn't my place to tell you. You'll have to wait for him-" Ace pointed at Zoro. "-to feel like telling you. _Though _it may be awhile. He's pretty secretive about some stuff. This being one of them."

"Shit." He sighed, leaning his head back. Zoro snored lightly, turning over, burying his face in his stomach. He glared down at Zoro, tapping the mans forehead, causing him to groan in his sleep. "Oi, don't get too comfy asshole. I'm still not happy."

oOoOoOoO

_He's pretty stupid to not realize that he has feeling for Zoro. Kids are so slow these days. _Ace stared at the object of his friends affection, happy that the two got along so well, despite their differences. He frowned. _Oh shit. I'm getting old, aren't I?_

Seeing and hearing Sanji worry about Zoro gave him hope that the two would work everything out and get together.

He snickered to himself. _He didn't even realize he was combing Zoro's hair. How cute._

Ace tried to stand up and get ready to leave, only to stumble back into the chair. "Woah, I think I drank too much." He pouted down at the keys in his hand. "Now I can't go back to my Smokey." He looked over at Sanji, not caring that the blond was one of his students and asked. "Can you give me a ride, please? I'm drunk and I wanna go home to my future husband. We're still _catching _up." He smirked at the last bit.

_Hell yeah._

He laughed as the blond glared over at him, reluctantly going for his keys. "What about your car? You just gonna leave it here?"

"Why not? My car's sweet. At least you'll have something better to look at besides Zoro's old junker."

Sanji sighed, helping him off the couch. "You're lucky I remember where Smoker lives."

He chuckled. "You're lucky I'm happily with Smoker, or I'd so kiss you right now. You were just so cute, petting Zoro like that." He was probably going to feel the kick to his back later, but right now he was too buzzed and giddy to feel much else.

_They'll totally work out._

oOoOoOoO

_He needs to stop talking to Sanji like that...I don't need or _want _to explain anything to him that could wreck what relationship I have with the idiot._ He turned onto his back as he heard Sanji's car drive off, his buzz still in effect enough to cause the ceiling to spin. He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead. _He'll probably figure it out before long anyway..._

_Hell, he probably already suspect something considering how badly I reacted to Saga. Not exactly one of my greater moments, I admit. Fuck it, I'll worry about it tomorrow._

The sudden banging at his door almost made him want to cry at the injustice of being forced off his couch.

_Maybe if I just ignore it..._

BANG. BANG. BANG.

He glared at the ceiling. _I'm going to kill whoever's at the door for making me get up._

He sat up, barely suppressing the urge to hurl everything he just drank the last few hours. God, he was glad Sanji hadn't come home early to crush his buzz. Now, he just had to tell the asshole at his door to fuck off or he'd be meeting his fist.

More knocking.

"Damn it, I'm coming." He groaned and staggered to his feet, managing to make it the door without hitting any walls. An accomplishment in his book considering how wasted he was.

_Who the fucks here at this hour?_ He thought about it for a moment. _Maybe Smoker came to pick up Ace. Too bad, he probably passed Sanji on his way._

He slammed the door back when he saw Saga grinning nervously on the other side, only to have the other catch it. "Oh, come on, Zoro. Can't we talk?" He asked, groaning as he pushed the door further open.

If he'd known this was going to happen, he wouldn't have drank so much. He shoved harder. "Get the hell off my porch before I throw you off myself."

"Please, Zoro. I just want to talk."

"I got nothing to say to you." He was starting to get dizzy now. "Get the fuck off my property."

"Not until we talk." He faltered, the booze weakening him enough to allow Saga to shove the door, and him back. Sage stood there, just as he remembered. Tall, proud, everything he had wanted in a partner. It was a shame he wasn't good enough for him back when the man had his heart. The silver haired man sighed, seeing him stumble over a discarded bottle. "I don't remember you being a drinker."

He wasn't in any condition to fight Saga...Give him a few minutes to sober up and then the man would be on his ass and out the door. He ran his hand through his hair, contemplating on why the man had appeared. "Fine, you can talk while I decide whether or not to get my swords."

Saga frowned. "I guess you haven't forgiven me then?"

He turned, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he made his way back to his couch. He shrugged. "There's nothing to forgive. I wanted something that you weren't ready for. My fault really."

"Still kicked my ass back then."

"I didn't think it was my fault at the time." He responded, taking his seat, but not inviting the other. He stared evenly at him. "Why are you here?"

Saga slumped in Ace's chair, unnerving him to no end. Even Sanji didn't sit there often. The man glanced around the room. "Nice place. I never got the chance to see it while we were dating."

He repeated himself. "Why are you here?"

"You still cut right to the chase." Saga chose to ignore him, continuing on. "I was shocked to hear about your defeat against Hawkeye Mihawk and the injuries you sustained. They must still hurt, seeing that it wasn't so long ago. And you become a teacher too. You've been busy since I last saw you." The silver haired man toyed with one of the glasses from the table. Saga leaned against his elbows on his knees, staring seriously at him. "What would you say if I've come to get you back?"

...

Nonplussed, he answered. "I'd say 'go fuck yourself' and throw you out." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm still planning to if you don't tell me what you really want."

Saga genuinely upset said, "I guess I deserve your scorn. I didn't treat you the way I should've, and I regret how I ended things between us."

_He's serious._

He shook his head. "I still haven't gotten a proper answer as to why you're here."

He wasn't expecting Saga to rise from his seat and step up to him. Wasn't expecting the other to reach out and gently hold his face like he used to. The action confused him enough to allow the other to lean down and press his lips against him.

He really needed to stop drinking so much.

oOoOoOoO

_What the...who's car is that? _Staring at the overly expensive car in his parking spot with confusion, he was tempted to see if it was unlocked and take it for a spin. _I guess it's another one of Zoro's friends...he did mention that two of his old fighting worshippers were coming up to visit._

Making his way up to the door, he was surprised to find it locked. "What the fuck? Damn it, did that shithead seriously lock me out?" He almost kicked down the door, but stopped short, calming down. "Better not do that, we just fixed the damn thing."

He turned and made his way around the house, knowing the mosshead never remembered to lock the back door.

_He better not've locked it or I'll break his windows. _Sighing in relief when the knob turned, he shrugged off his shoes and stepped through the kitchen. _Wonder what I should cook for breakfast in the morning..._

He stopped, hearing Zoro's voice coming from the living room. "I'd say 'go fuck yourself' and throw you out. I'm still planning to if you don't tell me what you really want."

He slowly made his way towards the wall separating the rooms and leaned closer, wondering who his teacher was talking to at this late hour. Needlessly to say, he was shocked to see the man from earlier, sitting in the lounge chair across from Zoro.

Saga frowned. "I guess I deserve your scorn, I didn't treat you the way I should've, and I regret how I ended things between us." The look Zoro got surprised him. _What the hell is this shithead talking about._

Zoro shook his head, leaning back. "I still haven't gotten a proper answer as to why you're here."

His eyes widened.

Saga had risen up from his seat, stepped over to his teacher and kissed him.

…

_That bastard's kissing Zoro! What the fucks going on?! He isn't allowed to kiss him!_

_Why not?_

He frowned, looking away from the scene. _What the hell's wrong with me?_

He shouldn't have been as glad as he was when he heard Zoro push the other away. His green haired marimo growled. "Get the fuck out."

My _marimo? Oh shit, this can't be happening._

He was fucking jealous. His life was ruined as of now.

_I'll kill that shithead, Ace._

He watched as the silver haired man reached out to grasp Zoro's shoulders. "Come on, Zoro. I think we could work." Saga smiled gently. "We were good together, right?" Saga barely backed up in time to miss Zoro's fist. "Come on, even you have to admit that you loved me. You could love me again if you give me another chance."

In all honesty, he suspected Zoro's sexual orientations for awhile now. Between Ace's innuendo's and the man's drunken kiss, it just seemed to make sense that Zoro would be gay. He didn't feel threatened by it, didn't think he needed to live in fear of being ravished in the middle of the night.

He respected the man enough to believe that.

"I told you to leave."

"Is it that blond I saw you with earlier? Are you two together or something?"

...

_Huh?_

oOoOoOoO

"Is it that blond I saw you with earlier? Are you two together or something?" Saga questioned, his face demanding.

_I had a feeling that that would get thrown in my face._

He crossed his arms, slightly wobbly by the movement. "It's none of your concern who I'm with or not. Now, my patience in running thin." He gestured to the door with his head, eyes still on Saga. "Leave. Right now, that's the only decent thing you can do."

"He doesn't know, does he?" Saga smirked. "I guess he was pretty cute...blondes are hot. Maybe I should go have a little talk with the man. Bet he'd be loads of fu-"

He slammed his ex to the floor, hands gripping his throat as sheer rage coursed through him. "You. Will not. Touch. Him." He smacked Saga's head against the wood with each word, feeling a sickening satisfaction as the man gasped in pain. "Don't go anywhere near him. Do you understand?"

Saga nodded.

He smashed the mans head into the floor once more before grabbing his collar and pulling him to his feet. Dragging the other, he kicked open the door and threw Saga out of his house. "Stay away from me, and stay the fuck away from him." Before Saga could speak, he slammed the door shut.

He snorted. "Shoulda done that from the start. What a waste of time." He groaned, scratching his head. "He's...pathetic." Yawning, he turned to walk back to his couch. "Was he always like that? What the hell did I ever see in him?"

He stopped as he heard his stomach growl.

_Wonder if Sanji made any food earlier..._

oOoOoOoO

_He likes...me? _He slid down the length of the wall until he sat on the floor, stunned by what he was hearing. _My teacher likes me? I know I'm totally desirable in every way possible...but to attract a guy like Zoro?_

He wasn't going to lie that it didn't boost his ego a lot.

_Fuck! I am not supposed to be happy with this! I should be the opposite of happy, I should be...fuck, unhappy! Great, he's got me so mixed up that my own thoughts are stupid. Some teacher, making his students dumber._

"...what the hell did I ever see in him."

_I can't believe Zoro dated that shithead._

He was so distracted with his thoughts that he didn't hear the approaching footsteps, until something hit his legs, tripping over them. Zoro's cursing broke through and caused him to freeze, afraid of how the man was going to react.

_Oh, shit. I'm screwed._

oOoOoOoO

Sprawled over Sanji's legs, staring at the teen in shock, he felt the world collapse around him.

_How long has he been listening? How much did he hear? Shit, he's going to kill me. He's going to leave without a place to stay. H-he's gonna despise me...what the hell do I do now?_

The blond nervously laughed. "Uh..."

"How much did you hear?"

Sanji glanced away, still giving a weary smile. "Hear what? I...just got here!"

_He's lying._

The next thing he did was something he's never done before, never thought about doing...he ran away, leaving Sanji on the floor.

Back pressed against his door, he was ready to kill Saga for what he had ruined. Again.

He sighed.

_How the hell am I supposed to face him tomorrow?_

oOoOoOoO

Zero101: Shit's really starting to get interesting, let's see how all this drama plays out.

Sasuke14u~ Yay! :)


	19. Hell's Festival Part 3

A/N: Sasuke14u~ Scroll down to continue the adventure. You're welcome. :)

**Chapter 16. Hell's Festival Part 3**

(Zoro's POV)

Sanji left for school before he woke up that morning, setting an alarm to wake him.

_So Sanji is obviously avoiding me._

But the teen left him breakfast.

_So...is he disgusted or not? _He frowned down at the beautifully plated food, confused. _Maybe he knows about my preferences, but not about my feelings for him? I never clarified it...is he even okay with gays?_

Judging by the disappearing act the teen pulled, he wasn't sure.

He took a bite of what he guessed was eggs-_what the hell is the red stuff?_-nearly moaning at the taste. The second bite though he froze, fork halfway to his lips.

_What if he thinks I'm gonna attack him or something? What if he _does _know about my feelings and is scared or angry at me? What if he thinks I've tricked him into staying here?_ He was screwed if Sanji believed that. The teen would tell his friends what happened between him and Saga and about his feelings, and what little relationship he had with Sanji would be ruined.

He pushed his plate away, resting his forehead against the surface of the table, feeling sick to his stomach. _I know how to fucking pick 'em, huh Kuina? I bet you're laughing at my pathetic ass up there._

He smiled at the image.

_Oh well, I guess I'll get my rejection sooner than I'd planned. Hopefully, he doesn't decide to live in his car to get away from me._

oOoOoOoO

Shocking as it was, Usopp was the person he confided to in times of crisis. The guy was good at keeping secrets, especially when threatened to be stomped to death otherwise. After sneaking out at the asscrack of dawn, not ready to handle Zoro yet, he escaped to his mechanic friend.

_Zoro's probably flipping the shit out..._He frowned, knowing what he did wasn't exactly the most tactful of actions. _At least I made the asshole breakfast._

Not really a good compromise either.

Now he was cooking breakfast for Usopp, who was barely awake and still yawning, about to spill his guts out.

He sighed. _This should be interesting._ He added chopped bacon and peppers to the eggs.

"Found out our teachers gay."

Usopp was slow to respond, blinking blurrily at him. "Which one?"

He snorted, glaring over his shoulder. "Who the fuck do you think, moron?"

His friend shrugged. "Brook?"

"Shit, no. That beanpole is more into the ladies than _I _am. Which is saying something. I'm talking about Zoro!"

Usopp blinked a few times. "So?"

"So? So?! Is that all you got to say?" He half shouted, shocked by how well his best friend was taking the news. "How're you not shocked? It freaked the hell outta me."

Usopp smirked, cupping his chin to look superior, a hard feat considering he was wearing a bright purple night cap. "It seemed fairly obvious to me. But not much escapes 'The Great Captain Usopp!'" _He's really getting into the whole pirate thing. _The teen calmed. "So, what's the big deal? Our last teacher was gay and it didn't bother you. You two even had long conversations about your Sav-something. I wonder how he's doing?"

"Bon Clay was a flaming gay man, though. There wasn't any hiding that."

The other nodded. "That's very true." He looked over, suddenly shocked. "Wait, how did you even find out about Zoro anyway?"

He shifted in his spot, picking his words carefully. "He...one of his old friends was over last night and the subject just came up in conversation." He didn't mention that he actually caught the man and his ex in a disagreement. Wasn't his place to bring it up. "He didn't know I was there."

His curly haired friend hmmed. "Must've freaked out when he saw ya." He snickered. "Probably was pretty funny."

"This is serious, shithead." He growled, plating Usopp's food and slamming it in front of the teen. "Pay attention, damn it."

"What's so serious about it? So, Zoro's gay, big deal." Usopp stated in between bites. He frowned as he asked his next question seriously. "Wait, did Zoro do anything to _you_? Is that why you're flipping out?"

He blushed, still glaring. "_Fuck no_. And even if he did, I could totally kick the shit out of him if he so much as looked at me funny."

"So, what's your problem?"

He looked away, frowning. My problem is that our teacher wants me! Fuck, how do I handle this? Shifting in his spot, he turned back to Usopp. "Don't know."

"You 'don't know'?" Usopp sighed, waving his fork around. "Can't really help ya with that. Care to elaborate?"

He pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and inhaled, hoping the smoke would relax him. It didn't. "I don't fucking know _why _it bothers me! It just does."

The other looked bored as he balanced his fork on his finger. "Was the friend that visited his boyfriend?" Usopp hummed to himself. "I should be used to saying that after knowing Ace for so long."

"Apparently, the guy was his ex trying to get back together."

Usopp appeared thoughtful, his arms crossed across his chest and staring at him. "Are you mad that Zoro's gay..." His voice dripped with suspension. "...or that his ex is here and causing drama?"

"Huh?...What kinda question is that?"

"You were calm when we were talking about Zoro, but when you mention that other guy..." Usopp shivered. "...you looked ready to piss on his grave, after you put him there. While laughing evilly! Scary!"

He choked, staring at his friend like he just stated a form of blasphemy. "What the fuck are you saying?"

_Oh, God. First Ace and now Usopp? I think that they're trying to set me up or something..._

He hated the face Usopp was making, that almost condescending smile. "Do you feel like that other guy you were talking about is trying to steal Zoro from you? I mean, it would make since. You two are surprisingly close." His long nose friend leaned against the back of his chair.

"..." His brow was twitching.

"Maybe you're jealous?"

"..."

"Maybe you _like _him?" Usopp ended with a smirk, crossing his arms across his chest.

He was pretty sure that you could hear the broken wires in his brain sparking. He just couldn't comprehend what the other was saying. _Me...like Zoro? Is he fucking insane? _"I should kick your ass for even suggesting that, you sick shithead."

Usopp shrugged, shockingly not scared. "I've just never seen you so _obsessed _over someone. Even girls! You talk about Zoro _all _the time. You felt _bad _for bringing over a girl-"

"'Cause it was a shitty thing to do in retrospective."

"-you worry about the guy's wellbeing-"

"I fucking feed everybody!"

"-_and _it seems obvious that he feels something for you."

He stiffened, feeling like his head was going to explode . "What are you talking about?"

Usopp leaned forward. "Well, remember when your place went up in flames?" He nodded. "I heard from Luffy that apparently it was Zoro that found the guy that did it? Ace told him. Zoro even almost went to jail over the whole thing because he beat the shit out of the guy."

"No way in hell."

Usopp frowned. "You know Luffy and Ace don't lie. They don't even have the ability to lie."

He had a point. The D. brothers couldn't lie, even if their lives depended on it.

"Why would he go through all that trouble for someone he didn't care about?"

After last night, he knew that that man felt something for him. _Did Zoro really do that...for me?_

"Why don't you try imagining Zoro doing something hot like you used to do with girls when ya wanted to get off. See what that does for ya."

He stared at his friend, shocked. "You're telling me to mentally strip the guy? Are we sure that _you _aren't gay?"

"Hey, _I _have a girlfriend. Where the hell's yours, asshole."

"..." Not much he could say about that one. "Fuckass."

_So I have to mentally fuck Zoro to find out my feelings? Fuck, this is bullshit. _

He had a lot to think about...literally.

...

...

At the festival, he was once again sitting on the floor covered in fake blood, looking dead as possible. Zoro shuffled around, shirtless and covered in his blood. The man forgoed the chainsaw, not like he really needed it. He was pretty scary all on his own.

Zoro had tried to talk to him before the event started and like the man that he was, he hid until it was time to play dead. He knew that wasn't exactly fair, he should've gave the green haired man the chance to cover his ass about the night before, or try to blow it off like it wasn't a big deal.

Which it was.

_Okay...how do I want to play this out? Oh, shit. I can't believe I'm gonna do this! Zoro's a fucking man for fuck's sake! _He sighed, preparing himself for the visual onslaught he was about to inflict on himself.

_Let's get this over with._

Most of his fantasies started with a woman doing a slow erotic dance while giving a sultry smile. He didn't really want to think about Zoro dancing so he didn't even both trying with that...

_They were in his room..._

_He frowned. _

No, Mossbrain's room is bigger.

_They were in Zoro's room, he was sitting on the bed while the man stood by his dresser, facing him. Zoro was wearing his usual school attire. The tacky green button up shirt and black pants._

Why the hell did I start the man in clothes? This is going to take fucking forever.

_Zoro gazed him, a smirk on his face. He couldn't picture the man shyly smiling at him, just didn't seem to fit right with the other. The green haired man took off his glasses and set them down on the surface of the dresser, his working eye still focused on him on the bed._

Girls are usual naked by now.

_He didn't usually take very long on daydreams, so why was he taking his time on this? Back to the fantasizing. Ever so slowly, the man reached up and started to undo the top button. Thanks to that little bathroom incident awhile back, he knew exactly what Zoro's chest would look like when the man finally undid the last one, shedding the shirt and dropping it on the floor. The long scar from his shoulder to hip didn't disturb him one bit, which concerned him._

I never thought scars were attractive...so why...? Is it just Zoro...

_Zoro ran a hand through his hair, still looking at him with burning intensity, like when the man was polishing his precious sword 'Wado'. He hated to admit it, but he was flattered with that focused gaze was looking at him and him only._

_He frowned. _

Wait...Zoro's probably gonna want to be on top. Fuck it, it's my fantasy and he's the one going to be fucked over.

_That definitely brought some interesting images in mind. His teacher, flat on his back, legs parted and gasping for breath as he thrusted against him. Zoro's nails digging into his back, no doubt leaving marks._

_He smirked down at that once proud face, completely lost in his pleasure when they both came down from the sex induced high. When Zoro finally caught his breath, he smiled up at him and something happened._

_Staring down at the man, he realized something, and it twisted his stomach. When Zoro wasn't glaring or scowling, when the weight of the world wasn't on his shoulders or when he wasn't stressed out over school work or ex lovers..._

_Zoro was fucking beautiful._

He glanced down at himself and nearly started crying, wanting to break the closest papier-mâché spider next to him.

He was fucking hard...

_You fucking traitor! How could you betray me like this?! _Great, he was yelling at his dick. He'd officially lost his mind. He flopped over onto his stomach so no one could see his _growing _problem.

And Zoro was coming towards him, looking concerned. Oh, fuck. Just what I needed.

The man crouched down next to him, long strands of hair from the wig sliding over his arm. sending shivers down his spine. _Fuuuck_. The worried look on the green mans face didn't really help him. Just made him want to see the sex-induced one from his fantasy instead. _Damn, I know girls in distress are a fucking turn on, but now a distressed marimo is too? This is bullshit! _"You okay, blondie?" Zoro reached out, but then decided against it. "Need me to get Usopp to cover for you?"

_No, I'm not fucking okay, shithead. _"I'm fine."

The man did touch him then, tapping his forehead with his finger. "Get over yourself, you look like shit and you've been even more bitchy than usual to the other students. Which as your teacher, I don't approve of."

"Get the hell away from me." He didn't need Zoro to find out that he was hard for him. _The teacher may be crushing on me, but I need a fucking minute to think this stuff over. Was that so much to ask?_

Zoro snorted, grabbing the back of his collar. "Get the hell up, I'm dropping you off at the nurses for being such a damn whiney little b-"

The girls that came in through the entrance screamed at the scene before them. Seeing two blood soaked men, one holding his bleeding nose while the other stood panting over him, his leg poised to strike again.

"What the fuck, asshole?" Zoro groaned, voice nasally as he aligned his nose back into place, ignoring the blood pooling on his chest. His eye blazing in rage as he staggered up on unbalanced legs. "Have you lost your damn mind?"

He wanted to tell him to get over it, but all he could see was Zoro's eye focused on him, all that passionate feeling glaring at him in full bloom.

He loved passionate women.

Apparently a passionate Zoro qualifies.

So, once again, he left the man alone with his anger so he could figure out how to handle his own messed up feelings. He waved over his shoulder. "I'm taking a smoke break."

oOoOoOoO

That...little...fuck...he breaks my nose and runs away again? He must know about everything now.

He frowned, ignoring Chopper's frantic cries for a doctor before realizing that he was one and started fixing his nose. The brunette frowned, looking at the injury. "What happened, Zoro? It looks like something smashed into your face."

He snorted, wincing in pain at the action. "You could say that."

Luffy leaned forward, invading his personal space. The boy hmmed. "Looks like Sanji kicked ya. Breaks my nose each time like this too."

_How is Sanji so popular with everyone with his shitty attitude? _He sighed as his little doctor finished his taping. _Now I gotta go find the pissy bastard._

He looked over at Usopp and Perona. "I'll be heading out, I've done my part with this nonsense. Please don't destroy the classroom while I'm gone."

The pinkette girl giggled. "Sure thing, Zoro."

Usopp snickered. "We'll do our best."

_They're conspiring against me, I know it._

"Now where's my clothes?"

...

...

_That weaselly bastards been hiding for three...fucking...HOURS! Where the hell is Sanji? The festival's about to close for gods sake, I wanna go home._

It was starting to get dark outside, so that meant all the students were setting up for the big bonfire display and he really didn't want to hang around and dance. Both of the D. brothers already demanded him for a dance a piece and there was no way in hell he was doing it. He didn't want to have to face Smoker.

The only one he might've danced with was Chopper and the little guy had already went home. The doctor had work in the morning, like he did.

He glanced down at his watch, only 30 minutes before the fire started. He needed to find the blond and see if he was ready or not. If he's not...then he can find his own damn ride home. He was tired.

Now, he was stomping his way on the second floor, hoping to catch a glimpse of the swirly-browed teen.

_Why am I wasting my time looking? It's obvious that he doesn't even want to be around me. _He sighed, pausing outside his room. _What're the fucking odds that he'd be in my classroom?_

Needless to say, he was surprised to find the brat sitting on one of the desks, looking outside the window to watch the preparations. Smoke curling around Sanji's head like a halo.

He leaned against the frame, deciding it was best to keep his distance. He didn't know if Sanji would jump out the window to avoid him. "I should write your ass up for smoking in class."

The blond stared over his shoulder, face bored. "Like you even care, marimo."

He needed to know. He crossed his arms and looked over at the nearest wall, away from Sanji. "Since you've been avoiding me, I guess you must hate me...or be disgusted...or something."

"Huh?"

He shifted on his feet, he hated this feeling of defeat. He stared at Sanji. "I'll help you pack your things, and see if I can find you a place to stay." He could feel his face heating up, embarrassed by how small he was feeling under the others gaze. He had to look away again.

Damn it, it's like being rejected before I even confessed!

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He scratched the back of his head. "You heard everything last night. You might think I'm stupid, but I know when someone has a genuine problem with me that's not just because they're annoyed." He shrugged. "You're either disgusted by the fact that I'm attracted to men...or that I'm attracted to you. It's not the first time I've bothered someone about being gay and it more than likely won't be the last."

"Oi." He looked up and found Sanji facing him, feet squared and his cigarette lazily held between his fingers. "Get over here, shithead."

Get...his going to fucking kick me again. Better get this over with.

Stepping up to the teen, body tensing, he prepared for the strike. "Have at it, you curly browed brat. Let me have it."

Sanji snorted, rubbing out the cigarette with his shoe. "You're just fucking negative today, aren't you? Guess I haven't really helped with that." The blond glared suddenly. "I want you to close your fucking eyes. I'm gonna get ya with one good hit."

He snorted, but decided to play along. Wanting Sanji to get all his anger out, he closed his eyes, preparing for what was more than likely unconsciousness. I am fucking screwed.

He felt Sanji grip the back of his head, fingers tightening in his hair.

_Fuck._

...

_Wait..._

_Is he..._

His eyes snapped open when he registered that instead of kicking him, Sanji was fucking kissing him. He couldn't even respond to the other due to his surprise.

The blond growled as he pulled back. "How the fuck am I supposed to tell if I'm attracted to you if you freeze up like a fucking 12 year old. Get with the fucking program, shitty marimo."

He blinked, dumbfounded. "Huh? You're...not going to kill me?"

Sanji snorted. "I just might if you don't hurry the hell up and fucking come on." The blond smirked. "Or do you even know how?"

His resolve snapped at the blonds cocky attitude, he'd deal with the consequences later. He gripped Sanji's face, his thumb pushing against the blonds jaw to tilt his head back and kissed him.

_Go figure the fireworks would go off outside like a corny movie._

At least he was sober for this. He never wanted to forget the feel of Sanji's lips against his own. Sanji parted first, gasping. He smirked down at the blonde's blushing face. "Well?"

Sanji sniffed, glancing away. "At least you know how to do that. I'm pretty shocked."

He grinned, which stunned the other apparently, if the others face was anything to go by. "That was nothing..." He slowly sobered up. "So..."

"So?"

"What are we, exactly?"

Sanji shrugged. "Not sure, I'm not gay."

He frowned. "Uh...but you enjoyed being kissed by me and last I checked, I'm a fucking man." Jeez, what the hell?"

The blond shifted on his feet, blushing once again. "Who the fuck knows, maybe it's just you."

"It's my fault." He had to think on that one. "So...you're only gay for me?"

That got a better reaction than he could've hoped for. Sanji sputtered as he stomped away, reaching into his pocket for another cigarette, while going into a mumbled monologue. "Fuck! Why did it have to be an uncouth asshole with a fixation for the number three and who drinks like a fucking whale?! It's fucking unfair!"

_I suddenly feel _really _offended._

He sighed.

_Figures Sanji would blow up over a kiss that he fucking started._

He guessed he shouldn't be surprised though. At least now he knew that he had a shot.

oOoOoOoO

A/N: Sasuke14u~ Things are really picking up now! :) This story is almost at it's end…maybe. Leave a review to tell us what you think. See you next time!

Oh, and for everyone who's left reviews, thank you. You guys are awesome!


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